My Sea, My Sky
by True Colours
Summary: Pai has finally confessed his love for Lettuce. She has never been happier, but they know their peace is only a brief respite as long as the conflict continues...not as lame as it sounds! Come on, guys, when have I ever let you down? Sequel to Arashi.
1. Fuwatto

**My Sea, My Sky**

**Chapter One: Fuwatto**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters.

**A/N: Howdy y'all. This used to be chapter two of Arashi, but I decided that that fic made more sense as a oneshot, so I'm re-posting this as the sequel to Arashi. What will happen now that Pai and Lettuce are secretly together? I gave it one of those lame 'why Pai and Lettuce love each other' titles because **_**I **_**don't even really know where it's going yet. Well, I know exactly where it's going, but I have no idea how it's gonna **_**get**_** there, so I can't really sum it up in a title yet, capiche? I may come moaning to some of my loyal readers for bunnies at some point. **

**PS: Fuwatto means 'floating', for want of a better chapter heading.**

'Do I hear the sound of floating?'

Shirogane Ryou emerged from the basement of Café Mew Mew and looked suspiciously around the room for the cheerful culprit. His eyes fell on Ichigo first, but she didn't look intolerably happy; rather grumpy, in fact. Her mood probably had something to do with Mint, who was calmly sipping a cup of tea and refusing to take her share of the work, as was her wont. No unusual happiness there, either. Pudding was as exuberantly hyper as ever, but he'd grown as desensitized to that as any normal person ever could, and it wasn't even worth checking Zakuro, who always kept her emotions firmly under wraps. Which only left...

'Lettuce-san?' he asked, approaching the table where the green Mew was setting out bowls of stirrers and lump sugar. 'Is everything alright?'

'Oh!' she exclaimed, seeming to jerk out of a small trance. 'H-hai, Shirogane-san.' She turned back to her work with a faint, unconscious smile on her lips. Ryou continued to stand behind her, tapping his foot in agitation, but Lettuce seemed blissfully unaware of his presence. She finished setting the table and then looked up across the room and caught Zakuro's eye.

Zakuro had been calmly stacking plates by the kitchen door, but sensing Lettuce's gaze she looked up and gave an affectionate, knowing smile. Lettuce blushed, hugged her menus to her chest and then practically skipped off to lay them out, leaving Ryou standing by her first table with his mouth hanging open.

He looked from Lettuce to Zakuro, and then back to Lettuce, and then to Zakuro once more. Around him Mint, Ichigo and Pudding stilled one by one, finding his performance more interesting than their various tasks, but Zakuro was carefully ignoring him and Lettuce seemed to be entirely in her own world. She arranged her menus as though performing some kind of dance routine, looked up at a spot in thin air, blushed deeply and gave a little spin on the spot.

'Lettuce-onee-chan seems to be in a good mood, na no da,' Pudding observed faintly. Ryou gave a desperate kind of nod and then caught sight of Keiichiro walking along the hall with a tray of fresh-baked muffins.

'Keiichiro! A moment, please!' he called stiffly, marching after him.

'We've known each other for ten years, Ryou,' Keiichiro pointed out mildly as Ryou frogmarched him into the kitchen and rounded on him.

'Lettuce is happy!' he announced.

'...is that a bad thing?' Keiichiro asked, looking faintly perplexed.

'Keiichiro, it's not _like_ her!' Ryou wailed. 'She's smiling and skipping around and she seems to have formed some kind of alliance with Zakuro!'

'I really don't see the problem.'

'You don't know what it was like! They just sort of smiled all knowingly at each other and...and..._giggled _and...'

'Hmmm, I understand your concern,' Keiichiro observed gravely. 'One never knows what these females may be plotting. However, in this case it seems to me that the answer is fairly obvious. I believe that Lettuce-san must be in love.'

'Keiichiro,' Ryou declared, whirling round and jabbing with a finger to emphasise his point, 'I think that is extremely likely._ Extremely_ likely. Lettuce-san –'

'Are you feeling jealous, Ryou?' Keiichiro asked smoothly.

'Jealous?' Ryou ran a hand distractedly through his hair. 'No, why on earth would I be?'

'Well, you must surely be aware that Lettuce-san has had feelings for you at some point, but if her affections are now directed elsewhere...Ryou...you must have known that, surely...what? You _didn't_?'

'Oh, dear Lord,' Ryou said, clutching the counter and turning to face Keiichiro with a hunted expression on his face. 'You d-don't think they're c-cooking up one of their...their..._boy-entrancing_ projects for me, do you?'

At this point they were interrupted by a stream of apparently uncontrollable giggles issuing from the closed kitchen door. Ryou strode over to it and pulled it open, to reveal Ichigo standing in the doorway, arms wrapped tightly around herself, bent double with laughter. Pudding and Mint were standing behind her.

'ICHIGO!' Ryou thundered.

'G-go-men-na-sai-Shiro-gane-san!' Ichigo spluttered, slowly crumpling down onto her knees under the weight of her own laughter. She gazed up at him, brown eyes wide with dismay at her own behaviour. 'I..._boy- entrancing_!' She pushed her fist into her mouth, trying to choke off the stream of giggles. Mint was watching her in alarm, but giggles were issuing from her mouth as well. Pudding didn't look as though she got it at all, but she wasn't letting it spoil her enjoyment of the situation.

'Now, girls...' Keiichiro began, stepping forward to try and restore some semblance of order to the scene. In a kind of trance Ryou looked over the heads of the three Mews and into the front room of the café. Zakuro was watching from a safe distance, an enigmatic half-smile on her lips, but Lettuce didn't seem to have noticed that anything at all was amiss. She was still carrying on serenely with her work and – Ryou's eyes widened incredulously – _singing_ to herself.

A ray of sunlight shafted through the café windows.

'Look, everybody!' Lettuce cried, swinging around to address the chaotic assembly in the kitchen doorway. 'The sun is shining! Oh, isn't it a lovely day!'

'Wow,' her friends murmured, shaking their heads as one.

* * *

'Shirogane-san was quite puzzled by your good mood today,' Zakuro told Lettuce as they changed out of their uniforms at the end of the day. 'I think he and Akasaka-san suspect that you're in l –'

'Meeeeeeeeeppppp!' Lettuce squealed, flinging her arms suddenly around Zakuro and squeezing the breath out of her. 'Oh, Zakuro-san, I love him! When do you think he'll come again? Will I see him tonight? Will he be able to get away? Aaaaiiii, I don't know what to do, what shall I wear?'

'Wear something blue; it compliments your eyes. Maybe a skirt or maybe jeans, it depends how much you want to lead him on. Listen, Lettuce, I _don't know_. I'm sure he'll come to see you as soon as he can, but you have to remember that until he tells Kish and Tart what he's up to it's going to be difficult for him to make time. And while we're on the subject, it would be a good idea to clarify the date of his next visit before he leaves from now on. You can't let him get the idea that he can just turn up whenever he feels like it and expect you to drop everything...Lettuce, are you listening to me?'

'Oh, uh...hai, Zakuro-san,' Lettuce nodded vigorously, bouncing up and down on the bench where she was sitting. 'But I'm also being excited. I'm..._multitasking_!'

Zakuro gave in and smiled. It was wonderful to see Lettuce, usually so apologetic and reserved, unstintedly happy for once.

'Multitasking is a fine skill, and should be practised and honed whenever possible,' she observed, helping lettuce to her feet, pushing her bag into her hands and draping her jacket around her shoulders. 'Come on, Lettuce, home now...'

'Yeah, home...' Lettuce agreed vaguely, allowing herself to be led out of the café. It was already growing dark, and their breath made clouds in the air. 'I think I want to take Pai-san to the library next time he comes. I know last time he tried to attack it with all those Chimeras but I can show him how to use it properly...I can get him to read all my favourite stuff; I bet he'll like 'A Wizard of Earthsea', it's got that blend of racy adventure and complex atmospheric description that I think he might like...'

'You should become a critic, Lettuce,' Zakuro suggested. 'Listen, I go this way now, but I'll see you tomorrow...hurry home, it looks like it might even snow. And make sure you don't get lost, OK?'

'Oh no!'

'What's wrong?'

'Don't leave me! What if he turns up after you're gone! What do I say to him? Zakuro, I feel sick...'

'Well, if he _is_ here he's not exactly going to show himself while I'm with you, is he? The whole point is that you spend time alone together.'

'I s-suppose so...' Lettuce murmured, fiddling with her plaits and shifting from foot to foot. 'Oh, but I don't know...'

'He won't kiss you if you ask him not to,' Zakuro reassured her, 'and as for the talking, you just have to try to relax and let your feelings take over.' She stepped closer and put her hand on Lettuce's shoulder. 'I know it seems frightening, but when you do meet him you'll find it's the easiest thing in the world. I promise.'

'Arigatou, Zakuro-san,' Lettuce whispered. Zakuro smiled fondly. The younger girl probably didn't realise this, but she looked absolutely lovely, her blue eyes wide and shining. In Zakuro's opinion, Pai was lucky to have her.

'Goodbye, Lettuce-imouto-chan,' she smiled, turning away. She gave a quick wave over her shoulder and hurried off. Lettuce watched after her until she had disappeared round the corner, feeling very much comforted. Then she shook herself slightly and set off down the road that led to her home.

* * *

Pai was floating twenty metres above the ground, an uncharacteristically dreamy expression on his face. He propelled himself lazily after Lettuce as she hurried along the twilit street, reflecting back on the conversation he had overheard between her and the wolf Mew. He was seeing the latter in a whole new light after watching the way she had reassured Lettuce outside the café. Before this he had only ever thought of her as one of his most dangerous adversities and the possessor of an irritating and misplaced sense of superiority, but it seemed she had a decent streak after all.

His gaze softened as he gazed down at Lettuce's green head. Her anxiety of a few moments before gave him mixed feelings; on the one hand he didn't want her to be afraid of him or anything less than blissfully happy, but on the other the idea of her being shy of him was thrilling. And when he'd stopped briefly by the café in the early afternoon, he had overheard the two men who ran the project discussing her unusual high spirits. Was that something to do with him? That idea was enough to set excitement bubbling in his throat.

He dipped lower. Lettuce gave a little skip, and his stomach imitated the motion enthusiastically. He would declare himself in a moment, and what's more he would admit to having followed her for ten minutes beforehand – he wasn't Kish – but for a moment it was pleasant to just watch her walk, uninhibited by his or anyone else's presence. And in just a moment he would call to her, and she would turn and give one of those dazzling blushes...

'Midorikawa-san, are you _skipping_?'

* * *

Lettuce's tingly, fizzy feeling vanished as suddenly as if it had been switched off. The street around her, which she had scarcely noticed in her daze of happiness and nerves, suddenly closed in around her, gloomy and menacing. She knew that voice. It belonged to Aya, the sharply beautiful girl with black hair cut into two cruel points on either side of her face, whom Lettuce knew all too well from tense, lonely lunchtimes and early morning races to school carrying three people's homework in addition to her own...

A cold, empty giggling told her that Aya was not alone. If she had been, she probably wouldn't have greeted Lettuce like that at all. She would have been all smiles, linking arms and promising to corn-braid her hair for her and advising her on exactly what colour would best bring out her eyes. It was this trait that made these three girls so terrifying. Their ability to switch from deadly enemies to the sweetest of friends as easily as a frog hops from water to air.

'H-hai,' she said unsteadily, turning in her tracks. 'I suppose I was skipping.' She gave a nervous little half-laugh, raising a hand unconsciously to her lips.

'Why were you skipping?' Aya asked, stepping forward into Lettuce's view. Her friends, neither of them as skilled or refined as she was, stood flanking her with their arms folded and mocking, hungry smiles on their lips.

'Were you having a little game with yourself, maybe?' Aya took a step closer, her eyes on the ground, a slow, cruel smile twisting her mouth. 'You like to play with yourself, don't you, Midorikawa-san?' she said quietly.

Lettuce felt her throat close up and her cheeks burn. 'You stay away from me!' she gasped thickly, stumbling backwards. She felt sick. She had to get away.

'Oh, don't leave so soon, Lettuce,' Aya cooed. 'Look, I didn't mean it. It was just my little joke, right girls?'

'Right,' they chorused, their voices so horribly convincing that Lettuce nearly gave in. But no. She was stronger now.

'It's not a joke and you know it,' she said. 'I have to go home.'

'Surely it can't be past your bedtime yet?' Aya exclaimed in mock surprise. 'Come on, stay and hang out with us for a little while. You can teach us your game.'

'I don't want –'

'Oh Lettuce, please teach us your game!' one of Aya's friends cried, leaping forward and seizing her hand in mock supplication.

'We're not as cool as you, Lettuce, and we really want to learn,' the other agreed, grabbing her shoulder.

'It's settled, then,' Aya purred. 'Teach us the game.' She linked up with Lettuce on one side, and the other two followed suit so that she was firmly sandwiched between them. Their touch made her skin crawl. 'Now skip with us, Lettuce!' Aya trilled, tugging the whole line off down the street. Lettuce lurched along clumsily between them, stumbling, resisting, dragged in their wake.

'You know,' Aya called above the noise of their feet, and Lettuce wondered how long she would carry on with the undignified spectacle herself in order to make her victim suffer, 'I think Midorikawa-san's mummy has the right idea. Instead of forcing your kids to go through all the hassle of parties and boyfriends and horrible things like that, you make sure they come home by seven PM and give them their din-dins and pop them into bed –'

Lettuce stopped dead, digging her heels into the ground with all the tenacity of a stubborn mule. Their line skidded and lurched, hauling on her arms until they felt dislocated, but at last they were all still.

'I don't have to listen to this,' Lettuce announced.

'Soz, babes, I didn't quite catch that.'

'I said, "I don't have to listen to this" ' she repeated, wrenching her arms free. 'I'm going home, and you can't stop me.'

'Aya, I think we've upset her,' one of the girls said.

'I think you're right,' Aya agreed. 'Oh, Lettuce, I'm sorry...'

She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Lettuce, but Lettuce gave a yell and fought free, pushing her roughly away.

'You –' Aya choked, and all three of them lunged at her. Lettuce wasn't as strong as three girls, but she was faster than any of them, and a practised fighter on top of it. She twisted away the arms that reached for her, ducked and fetched up behind them, poised on the balls of her feet.

'I said I'm going home,' she whispered.

Aya's face was livid, but at Lettuce's words she pulled herself together, shaking back her hair and rubbing her twisted arm.

'We'll see you in school then, Lettuce,' she promised, and then the three of them turned and ran off, disappearing quickly into the gathering dusk.

Lettuce leaned against the ally wall, her breathing quickly turning to hysterical pants. She pushed her hair back from her face, blinking back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her.

'I –'

She gave an inarticulate scream, slamming her fist into the wall. She had been so stupid! Why did she let them push her around like that? She shook her head. Thinking like that wouldn't help anything. She had to get home.

She took a shaky step forward, and another, and found herself enveloped in a pair of warm arms.

Then the tears started.

'Shhh, Retasu-chan, shhh,' Pai whispered, stroking her hair gently with one hand, over and over. Lettuce pressed her face into his chest, trying to muffle the sound of her sobs, and to hide from the pity she knew must be filling his eyes. She felt sick with shame. Why now? Why?

'No,' she moaned, 'oh, no...'

'Lettuce?' he asked, tipping her head back to look into her eyes. She broke away from him with a strangled cry and flung herself down on the curb, burying her face in her hands. She couldn't bear to touch him, not after what he'd seen, but at the same time she wanted him to hold her...a fresh wave of tears battered her as she realised what a stupid thing she'd just done. He'd tried to comfort her, and she'd pulled away. She dropped her head onto her knees, feeling so horribly exposed and lonely, and let the misery engulf her.

But Pai would not be so easily put off. She heard him move, felt him settle beside her. His arm wrapped around her for a second time, and then he pulled her gently against him and laid her head on his shoulder.

For a moment Lettuce was too stunned even to cry. She could only sit completely still, acutely aware of the texture of his clothing and the heat coming through it, of his strong, gentle hand against her cheek and his steady breathing. After a while the tears began once more, but the sobs did not. She sat perfectly quiet while her tears flowed steadily down her face and soaked into his shirt, drenching it through and sticking it to her cheek. She felt strange. Shocked and miserable, but perfectly content at the same time, and more than a little lightheaded from the amount of crying she'd been doing. At last a dull, pounding headache began to establish itself, and her eyes ran dry. Then she sat up and steeled herself to speak.

'I'm sorry you had to see that, Pai-san,' she said. Her voice was reasonably steady, and she even managed a little laugh. She shot a nervous glance at Pai. His eyes were hard, boring into the opposite wall.

'If I could have shown myself to them...' he said in a low, deadly voice.

'P-pai-san...'

'Retasu.' He turned and pulled her close, leaning in so that they were cheek to cheek as he caressed her face, his fingers moving urgently against her skin.

'Gomen-nasai,' she whispered.

'Why are you _apologising to me_?' he demanded in such a ferocious tone that she ducked and hid her face in his shoulder. 'I'm sorry,' he said more gently, 'but I do feel angry.'

Lettuce gave another little sob, and his arms tightened around her. 'I can fight m-monsters, but I c-can't even stand up to th-those girls,' she mumbled. 'I know it's stupid, but I didn't want you to know. It's so stupid...'

'Lettuce, look at me,' Pai said quietly. Lettuce wanted nothing more than to crawl away and hide, but instead she forced herself to meet his eyes for the first time since he'd appeared. He was as beautiful as ever, eyes black in the semi-darkness, skin ethereally pale. His face held a host of emotions: sorrow, anger, pity...love. His expression was full of deep, tender love, which slowly grew and won out over the other feelings, seeming to reach out and envelope her in its warm glow. 'You mustn't listen to them anymore,' he whispered, 'because I can't bear it. You are much too beautiful to be trampled on by the likes of them.'

'I'm not as beautiful as –'

'You are the most exquisite creature I've ever seen, on this planet or my own. I can't tell whether that girl has the potential to be beautiful or not. Her spite shows on her face. It makes her ugly. But you...' Slowly, reverently, he smoothed her hair back from her face, gazing deeply into her eyes until she couldn't think. '...you are selfless.'

'Pai...' she breathed, raising her fingers to brush lightly along his cheekbone. He cupped her face in his hands and touched his lips to hers. His kiss was as soft and as warming as a sunbeam. It cast a golden light which shone inside her, and made her strong.

'I won't listen to them anymore, Pai-kun,' she said clearly. 'I'll listen to you instead.'

'Good. Then listen to this.' Pai placed his hands either side of her waist, kissing her neck tenderly. '_I love you_.'

She ducked her head and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Pai wiped it away with his thumb and then rested his forehead against hers, running his fingers through her hair. Lettuce shuddered a little with leftover shock, but his hands were so firm and so gentle...they were soothing away all the panic and the pain...

'It's OK, Retasu, you're safe with me,' he murmured softly, and it was true, though she didn't know how. He was her enemy, and yet he was comforting her. She was completely vulnerable, and yet she trusted him as completely. Everything was so quiet, so still, as though the world had fallen silent just to allow her to focus on how close he was, and the exact feel of his hands as they twined slowly into her hair. Suddenly he leaned in, closing the gap between their lips for a second time. Her heart jolted. The kiss was soft and chaste, but it went on and on, every motion full of eloquent love. She lost all track of time, lost in the moment, until he finally broke the contact and pulled away. His eyes lingered on hers, even more sensual than the kiss, and Lettuce, looking inside herself, found that she was feeling nothing but dazed love.

'Arigatou, Pai-kun.'

'Do you feel better now?' he asked, releasing her and smiling for the first time.

'H-hai...' Lettuce was experiencing a wobbly feeling that had nothing to do with dehydration.

'I was...following you after you left your work,' Pai said, looking slightly sheepish now, 'meaning to ask you if – after you've finished your school time – you would like to spend some time with me? Tomorrow?'

Lettuce looked up at him in surprise. He was watching her closely, looking almost...hesitant? Bashful?

She flung her arms around him.

'Well, uh, Lettuce-chan,' he said, patting her head in surprise.

'I'd love to!' she exclaimed. 'What will we do?'

Pai gave her a true, joyful smile, and she could have sworn that the sun popped obligingly back up above the horizon, bringing a few summer birds with it to sweeten the moment. 'Anything you like,' he said. 'This is your planet. You can show me the customary occupations for two young people in our situation.'

'OK!' Lettuce leapt to her feet, her face shining with joy through its clinging mask of tears. All her earlier excitement was flooding back so fast that it was making her lightheaded. 'I'll –' she looked down at her feet, giving the blush which Pai had been waiting for. 'I'll have to tell my mum where I'm going, but...'

'She won't object?'

'I don't think so...where will I meet you?'

'I'll wear some human clothes and wait for you outside your school – '

'You will?!'

Pai gave her a puzzled look. 'Yes, if that's acceptable to you...?'

'Of course, it's just...'

Pai frowned, trying to keep up with her as she hopped from foot to foot.

'...just that girls get met by their boyfriends from school, but now you're going to be meeting me and...I mean...wait, oh no!'

Pai just laughed and grabbed her hand. Boyfriend. Somehow he quite liked the word.

'Let me teleport you home,' he said. 'It's getting dark.'

'OK...' She gave a little gasp as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.

'If you will guide me...' he said. 'Ready?'

Lettuce squeezed her eyes shut as the air rippled around her. It felt as though the whole world was being taken apart, not forcibly destroyed but just tumbling inexorably to pieces. She couldn't judge their speed in the void that followed, but they must have moved very fast, because solidity came upon them with a sudden jolt, matter reformed, and then they were standing outside her house and the sky was well and truly dark.

'Ack,' Lettuce commented when she could speak again.

'I know,' Pai agreed dryly. It had started to snow lightly; he shivered as a feathery flake landed on his nose.

'Well...' she began, suddenly flustered, 'I guess I'll – see – you...'

'Tomorrow,' Pai finished for her, kissing her swiftly on the lips and destroying the last of her composure. 'Until then, sweet Retasu-chan...'

He gave a deep sigh as she disappeared inside her house with a glance over her shoulder and a quick, shy wave. Maybe his farewell had been melodramatic, but it was what he wanted to say to her. He couldn't make her feel special enough.

He chose to walk a little way back before teleporting. It helped to induce a better frame of mind in which to mull over the encounter, and to ponder possible ways of solving her problem with the human girls.

**A/N: I have a feeling that it degenerated a bit after the three Beckys. I've been plotting out too much PaiXLettuce fluff in my head of late, that's the trouble. I should pack it in for a while, refresh my palate with some Kichigo or something. Or maybe PuddingXTart. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this.**


	2. Yuki

**Yuki**

**Disclaimer: **Whoops, I don't think I did one for my first chapter. I don't own TMM or, let's face it, I would be selling these fics for a bunch of money, love fanfiction though I do.

**A/N: This chapter title means 'snow.' It is named after snow. Geddit? My first oneshot was called Arashi, which means storm, the first chapter of this fic was Fuwatto, or floating, and this one is snow! Each one is a Japanese word relating to the theme of the chapter!**

**OK, I'm done being clever now.**

'Mu...um?' Lettuce called timidly, peeping into the kitchen. She'd been feigning normalcy for a quarter of an hour since she'd got in, flopped on the sofa with a good book, but now she'd procrastinated long enough. Besides, what with memories involving Pai and that sofa bobbing to the surface every few minutes, she didn't know how normal she was coming across.

Her mother was standing at the kitchen counter, kneading dough, but at Lettuce's call she turned and smiled over her shoulder, squashing it into a ball and dusting off her hands.

'Yes, Lettuce-chan?' she asked, moving to the sink and beginning to rinse off the flour properly. Lettuce gulped. Despite her attempts to appear calm, her mother had realised instantly that it was something important enough to make her break off from getting the dinner. But what, reflected Lettuce, had she really expected? She was extremely close to her mother. They giggled together over the fictitious males in their favourite books, worked together in the kitchen nearly every night and discussed whatever problems Lettuce might be having in deep, unflinching detail. Mrs Midorikawa had been through most of it herself. So really there was no point in Lettuce trying to hide her feelings. In a way she was glad. She felt a little comforted as she took in her mother's warm smile, set in a face that was a more relaxed and better-weathered version of her own, her familiar stripy apron and her loose green hair. Looking at her made her feel safer, as though she could maybe be a child again, for just a little bit longer. As though everything, bullies and love and the fate of the world, didn't rest entirely on her shoulders.

'Well, Lettuce? Is anything wrong?'

Lettuce realised she had yet to speak.

'N-no,' she said. 'I was just wondering if it would be OK for me to...go out...after school...tomorrow?'

'Of course,' her mother said, but Lettuce could see the questioning light in her eyes. And then it came. 'Who with? One of those girls from the café?'

'Ah, um, no, you don't know him...'

Her mother's eyes sparkled with a mixture of triumph, sympathy and parental concern. Lettuce realised her blunder and clapped her hands over her mouth, but the damage was done.

'Oh no!' she wailed. 'Gomen nasai!'

'Lettuce, are you going out with a boy after school?'

Lettuce ducked her head, twisted her hands, shifted from foot to foot and blushed deeply, wishing the ground would swallow her up. But it didn't, and so she had to whisper:

'H-hai.'

'Hmmm.' Her mother finished drying her hands and walked over to Lettuce. 'Who is this boy?' She took Lettuce by the arm and steered her carefully into the living room as she spoke. _Oh, no!_ Lettuce thought frantically as her mother took a seat. _Not the couch_...Pai's lips, simultaneously demanding and tender as they moulded round hers...

'Y-you don't know him!' she blurted. 'He...I...I mean, we've seen each other round and today he said would I meet him after school so that we could go somewhere...and I said...I said I would have to ask you. Gomen nasai!' She flapped her hands frantically, then hid her face in an agony of nerves.

'Lettuce-chan, calm down.'

Lettuce stopped hopping up and down and peeped between her fingers.

'So is this boy in your year then? It's not anybody I know, is it?'

'No, he's...not in my year...he's kind of sixth-form age...' Lettuce replied, stretching the truth. Come to think of it, how old was Pai? Too old for her, most definitely. But by the same token she was too young to be saving the world. She supposed circumstances were a little different for them. 'And you don't know him...'

'And where's he taking you?'

'I don't know, we thought we'd just go from school and amuse ourselves any way that presented itself...I thought I might just...' Lettuce turned absolutely beetroot red, '...take – him – to – the – library?'

'He likes reading?' her mother asked, and Lettuce thought she heard a change in her tone that meant a decision had been reached.

'I...I think so...he seems like that sort of person.'

'I see. Well, Lettuce, be careful.'

Lettuce unstuck her hands from her face.

'Nani?'

'Be careful.'

'Yes, but I mean...you're letting me go?'

'Sit down, Lettuce.'

Lettuce gulped, closed her eyes and lowered herself slowly onto the sofa beside her mother. However, nothing came of it. A lightning bolt did not strike from the sky, Pai did not appear and the events of the previous day did not come suddenly to light. She took a shaky breath and felt calmer.

'Obviously there have to be a few rules, Lettuce-chan. I want you to stay in public places with plenty of people, I don't want you to accept any invitations back to his house, absolutely no alcohol and I want you back home by seven at the latest. Four hours is ample time to spend out with your boyfriend.'

'MUM!' Lettuce cried. 'It's not like that!' She gritted her teeth, trying to blot out the memory of exactly how 'like that' it was. But was it like _that_? He definitely _liked_ her but what did you call it when two people in their situation fell in love? It all felt so much more serious than that...or was it less serious...in a way she would feel so much more secure if he could carry her backpack and walk her to the canteen...

'SHUT UP BRAIN!' she shrieked.

'Lettuce?'

'Aha, er, nothing. Yes, of course I'll be back by seven and I won't do anything stupid, but honestly he...he's not like that. He wouldn't...I mean...he's...' Lettuce faltered. '...nice.'

'Oh, Lettuce.' Her mother suddenly gave a very girlish giggle. 'I know you'll be sensible, love.' She reached out and put her arms around Lettuce, pulling her into a tight hug. It made her feel like a little girl again, but it was nice. Nice to feel like she could go back to being the innocent girl she had been before the fate of the world and Pai's intense, adult love came to rest on her shoulders. Nice to pretend for a little while that there was someone who could still make all her problems go away, take them into stronger and more capable hands, as they had done when she was small.

'Oh, Mum,' she sighed. 'I don't know, I feel all...squiggly.'

'I know.' Her mother's arms tightened around her.

'Hehe, it feel weird.'

'It does. But tell me about this boy, Lettuce-chan. What's he like?'

'O-oooh, Mum, he...he's just...'

'Is he handsome?' her mother prompted with a slight smile.

'Oh, he's gorgeous!' Lettuce flopped backwards over the arm of the sofa with a dreamy sigh, her cheeks flushing rosy pink. 'He's really tall and pale and...and..._beautiful_, and he's got these _indigo_ eyes and he looks all brooding and serious and scary but then suddenly he_ smiles_ at me and I just melt...' Lettuce leant back and closed her eyes, then suddenly bounced upright again. 'Mummy, I can't believe he likes meeeeeeeeeee! He's so so so amazing! Him! I...I just...squee!'

'I remember the first time I saw your father, when we were in college.' This was the sort of talk that no child, not even Lettuce, would normally have allowed, but right now she was feeling generous enough to listen with real interest. 'All my friends thought he was an absolute geek, but he looked so handsome to me...he was the first boy who didn't terrify me. He had very unobtrusive good looks, but they were there, and they were real once you noticed them...I remember he had the kindest eyes I'd ever seen.'

'He isn't _not_ scary...' Lettuce replied slowly. 'Drats, double negative. He has muscles?' she volunteered.

Her mother's eyebrows went up. 'Lettuce, I'm impressed. I never would have dared to speak to a boy like that when I was your age.'

'Well, I didn't exactly speak to him, he spoke to me...'_ and you kind of get used to one another after fifty-odd battles, though to be honest he still terrifies me_... 'and I was too shy to say anything much, but he kept on anyway, and eventually I just had to say something...' She figured that was the way it would have happened, if theirs had been a normal romance. And it was a rough interpretation of what had happened between them. He'd kissed her until her longing had overcome her fear. 'I really like him, Mum,' she whispered softly.

'I can see that.' Her mum smiled and reached out to smooth her hair. 'Well, alright, I say you can go. I trust you to be sensible; you're fifteen years old after all.'

'Arigato,' Lettuce blurted, and then disappeared off the sofa and up the stairs as fast as humanly possible. In her room she instantly began to rummage through her wardrobe and the debris on her dressing table in search of inspiration. She desisted after a short time, however, deciding that there wasn't much one could do to improve a school uniform whilst still avoiding detention. It was probably just as well that she didn't have to choose, or else she might never have made it out of the house in the morning.

* * *

Pai hurried along the street towards Lettuce's school, moving with a brisk, swinging stride. He was more used to travelling by flight or teleportation, but he could get about equally well on foot if he had to. All the same it felt strange, as did the human clothes – dark jeans, a white shirt, long black coat and a beanie hat to hide his ears – which he had adopted for the occasion. He pushed his swinging hands into his pockets, and immediately his shoulders took on an adolescent slump. Pai grinned to himself. He was blending in more by the minute.

He rounded a corner and found himself opposite the school. It was very quiet, with a few minutes still to go till the end of the day, and if he strained his eyes towards the ground floor windows he could make out dozens of hunched-over figures, working. There were only a few people around: a scruffy-looking boy bounced a football idly across the yard, and a small cluster of girls stood in the shadow of the gates. At one time the sight of all these human children marshalled and herded like animals would have filled him with self-righteous disgust, but now all he could think about was that somewhere in that building was Lettuce. And that thought reminded him that beneath the uniform veneer of school were individuals with minds and rivalries and friendships that had not been crushed out of them. He stood quietly, savouring the anticipation of the meeting to come.

It was then that he realised he was not quite as inconspicuous as he had first thought.

The girls by the gate had stopped their noisy chatter, and their attention was now clearly fixed on him. He saw them turn to whisper among themselves, and put a hand surreptitiously to his head to check that his ears were fully covered. The girls were drawing closer together, still eyeing him covertly. Pai leaned forwards and peered at the closest one, trying to read her expression and find the source of their interest. Under his scrutiny the girl flushed cherry red.

Pai didn't notice that. He had just recognised these three as the girls whom he had seen tormenting Lettuce.

His first instinct was to whip out his fan and reduce them to cinders, but he felt that this would probably be counterproductive. There was absolutely no way Lettuce would approve. She was compassionate to a fault, even towards those she could have justly hated...Pai hauled his brain back on track before it could wander off on a gooey ramble about his love. Her enemies were standing in front of him. What was he going to do about it? At the same time he realised why they were staring at him. They were eyeing him up.

He nearly laughed as he interpreted the girl's blush – a false, affected reaction, quite unlike Lettuce's. At the same time a rather fun idea occurred to him. He would behave as though he were human, and oblivious to the situation. Be courteous and charming and then sweep Lettuce away right under their noses when she appeared. They might start being friendly to her if they thought she had an acceptable boyfriend, and even if they didn't the looks on their faces would do her good. Provided he could play his part well enough, of course.

'Excuse me,' he called, stepping forwards, 'could you tell me when school lets out, please?'

* * *

The bell rang. Lettuce, who had had her books stacked ready on her desk, snatched them up and leapt to her feet.

'Miridokawa Retasu!' her teacher shouted as her chair went crashing to the ground.

'Gomen, sensei!' Lettuce cried, trying to cram her books into her bag, clumsy in her haste. She slung the bag onto her shoulder, righted her desk and half-ran from the room. She felt sick with nerves, her heart was in her mouth, and every now and then her stomach flipped so sharply with anticipation that she had to give a little squeak to let out her feelings.

'Miridokawa-san? What's up with you?' one of her classmates asked as she bowled past him.

'Going to meet her boyfriend,' someone else remarked good-naturedly, and there was a ripple of laughter. Lettuce ducked her head, blushing, and hurried on down the stairs. She craned her neck to look out of every window she passed, seeing if she could catch a glimpse of Pai. Part of her was desperate to see him again, the other wanted to barricade itself in a toilet cubicle on the other side of the building until he was long gone. But she knew that that wasn't possible – simply not having to confront him would be good, but the very thought of him waiting fruitlessly by the gate made her ache inside – so she was combating that part by getting the waiting over as quickly as possible.

Outside the clouds were lowering and it was icy underfoot. _Must not trip and break nose or other appendage_, she thought urgently as she hurtled down the drive. _No Pai to catch you yet...must not trip..._

Half way down the drive she froze. She had just spotted Pai, standing a little way along the road. She tried to breathe, and found that most of her internal organs seemed to have vanished. He was looking absolutely breathtaking, dressed in sharply-cut jeans and a shirt with the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled carelessly up to the elbows, baring his muscled forearms. He carried a coat as well, but it was draped casually over one arm, as though he were daring the cold to do its worst. He blended in perfectly with the surrounding humans, and yet was far more eye-catching than any of them. Lettuce stood where she was, gazing at him. She couldn't seem to make herself move forward; she didn't go up to boys, and they certainly didn't meet her after school. She was used to admiring from a distance, and it was tempting to fall back into the same dreamy, melancholy pattern, But this time she must break the trend. He was there for her.

Then she realised that he was talking to Aya and her friends.

It felt as though the ground had vanished from beneath her feet. She gasped, and her eyes filled with tears. Blinking them away, she tried to get a hold on herself, but she couldn't stop the panic. She could hardly bear to walk past those girls on an ordinary day, but to go calmly up to them and demand the attention of a boy they were trying to chat up?

Impossible.

_You are being ridiculous ,_she told herself.

No result.

_He came to see_ you. _You have every right to take his attention. And you _know_ he doesn't like those girls. He despises them. Stop being insecure._

Nothing.

She glanced around, shifted from foot to foot, stood on one leg and nearly fell over. She had a nasty feeling she'd been trying to kick herself. Lettuce realised that she was well and truly stuck. She didn't dare go forward, but there was a small part of her, white-hot and growing inside her chest, that refused to surrender Pai to the three girls. She shivered in fear at what that part might be about to make her do, and then Pai spotted her.

'Lettuce!' he called, and waved an arm over his head, suddenly looking much younger and very human. Beside him she saw the others turn, eyes wide, jaws dropping as if in slow motion. And because there was nothing else she could do, she tottered slowly forward.

'Retasu,' Pai said when she reached him. There was something almost like relief in his voice, as though he had been under some kind of tension that could only be released by her presence. Her heart skipped a beat. He pulled her to him and kissed her on both cheeks, holding her shoulders firmly. She could feel her enemies' stares boring into her back.

Then Pai looked into her eyes and _smiled_.

All her worries, all Zakuro's advice and all their old enmity drained out of her head. She could only gaze. Her knees felt as though they might give way. Something hot and sweet and overpowering was filling her up, something that rendered her powerless against Pai and invulnerable to everything else in the world. The force of it took her breath away. Pai tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears and pulled her into his side, wrapping his arm securely around her waist. Aya and her friends were gawping at her as she faced them, guarded and supported by Pai. He inclined his head and smiled at them, but not with _that_ smile. _That_ smile was just for her.

'This is Miridokawa Retasu,' he said, not bothering to add 'my girlfriend.' That would resonate better if left to sink in on its own. 'But I think you're already acquainted?' As he said that he let just a little of the warrior seep into his eyes, and the girls shrank closer together. Pai waited, but none of them would confirm or deny the connection.

'Thank you for your time,' he said finally, tightening his arm around her waist and beginning to draw her away. 'It was pleasant to talk to you.'

'H-hai,' Aya managed. Pai nodded to them once more and set off down the road, pulling Lettuce with him. She glanced over her shoulder and then huddled into his side, eager to get away. But worry over the bullies refused to stay uppermost in her mind for long. She was still feeling groggy from the smile, and with Pai's warm body so close to hers it wasn't going away. She focussed on keeping her footing, breathing deeply in and out until her head was spinning.

'Lettuce, are you alright?' Pai asked, when after several minutes' walking she still hadn't spoken.

'I think I need to sit down!' Lettuce gasped.

'What's wrong?' Pai steered her hastily to a bench and supported her while he brushed the snow off it so that they could sit down. 'Aren't you feeling well? You're not angry with me, are you?'

'A-angry with you?' Lettuce echoed. 'No, why would I be?'

'Well, you did look rather appalled when you saw who I was talking to,' he murmured.

'Oh. Hai.' Lettuce made to lean her head back against the wall, then changed her mind and laid it daringly on Pai's shoulder instead. She shook with a mix of cold and tension. At once Pai wrapped his arms around her and began to chafe her back and shoulders, trying to warm her up. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out, trying to calm down.

'Pai-kun...' she whispered.

'Lettuce? You're not upset?'

'No. They will probably kill me tomorrow, but never mind. It was worth it.'

Pai squeezed her close in his arms and tucked her hair behind her ear, his hand resting briefly on her cheek. Lettuce pressed her eyes shut and turned her face into the side of his neck, burrowing against his warmth. Pai-san, so close... she dared to put her arms around his neck, and hold him as he was holding her. He whispered her name very softly as she did it, and she felt his lips brush lightly over her hair.

'Don't talk like that,' he said. 'I think I taught them better than to kill you.'

'Pai, what did you do to them?' Lettuce said, looking up sharply.

'Nothing, nothing. I just glared at them a little as we left, that's all.'

'Oh.' Lettuce let her head fall back onto his shoulder, her eyes thoughtful. 'In that case I feel sorry for them.'

'I did my best to make a good impression. If I succeeded, you might not find yourself unpopular on Monday morning.'

'Nani? You think that they will all want to be my friends now that I have a handsome boyfriend?'

'Yes, if I impressed them sufficiently.'

'Now I _am_ angry!' Lettuce exclaimed, but Pai could see that she was laughing. 'What do I do when they all come and drag me out of the library and force me to sit with them and talk about things? I shall never go back!' She flung herself back into Pai's arms and buried her face in his shoulder.

Pai placed his hands slowly on her shoulders, dazed. His whole body felt light, almost ready to float up off the bench, barely solid anymore. His heart was pounding, delicious tingles were stabbing across his skin, he could barely think. He looked down at Lettuce, who leaned, oblivious, into his chest, her arms around his waist. His heart was breaking. He could feel it, two sharp shards of joy in his chest. She was so beautiful. As soon as the thought came to him he felt peaceful, released. After so many months of murky uncertainty, here was one good and unshakable truth.

Lettuce was beautiful.

_I'm in love with you_, he thought, and then saw the rosy colour flooding up her cheeks and realised that he must have spoken aloud.

'Pai-san...' she breathed.

'Kun,' he said firmly, taking her hands. 'I like kun better.'

'Hai,' she whispered. 'Pai-kun...arigatou...'

'You're welcome,' he smiled. He felt her hands tremble. Her eyes were like stars.

'Lettuce, are you sure you're feeling alright?' he asked again. 'You still look very pale.'

'No I don't, I'm _blushing._'

'_Underneath _your blush. Are you feeling ill? Hungry?'

'Oh. No.' Lettuce shook her head as though trying to get water out of her ears. 'No, I was just feeling...' Pai watched bemusedly as she ducked her head, blushing furiously. '...groggy because... you...smiled...at...me.'

'...I think I'd better get you something to eat,' Pai said firmly, pulling her to her feet.

'No, honestly, I'm feeling fine...'

'...classic sign of blood-sugar deprivation,' Pai was saying. 'When did you last eat?'

'Uh...three hours ago?'

'I rest my case,' he said with a nod, halting outside a coffee shop which she often passed on the way home from school. He held the door open for her, an action which made her heart skip a beat, and then followed her in. 'Now, what can I get for you?'

Despite her insistence that she wasn't hungry, Lettuce's stomach growled as she caught the rich, sweet scent of the place. It was about as unlike café Mew Mew as a café could be, all sophisticated wooden fittings and low, subtle lighting.

'Uhhhm,' she considered, modesty seeping away as her love of good coffee took over, 'I'll have a mocha, I think...you're right, I do need sugar...do you like coffee?'

'I've never tried it. What do you recommend?'

'Hmmm.' Lettuce pondered. 'Cappuccino, I think. Yes, definitely a cappuccino. They're frothy on top; nice way to start. And let's get a couple of pastries as well...see, that one's my favourite. It's got nuts in. You'll like it.' Initiating someone into the Starbucks experience...it was turning out to be more fun than she'd anticipated.

Pai picked up a tray and joined the queue along the counter. Lettuce, standing at his elbow, marvelled at the way he negotiated the ordering process, courtesy and observance making up for his lack of practise.

'Uh, Pai?' she asked timidly, after watching him pay the server at the till.

'Yes?'

'If you don't mind my asking, how'd you get the money?'

'I thought you would prefer it if I earned it honestly.' Pai picked up their laden tray and began to carry it carefully towards a corner table. 'I worked for a couple of hours on the market this morning.'

'Pai –!'

'It wasn't hard; I could just teleport the things they wanted moved when nobody was looking.' Seeing that she still looked unhappy, he added: 'You can pay next time, I promise.' At that she laughed a little and relaxed.

'Okay then, that's fair.'

Pai smiled, and the world dissolved again. Lettuce wondered how many times it could stand being disassembled like this before it became permanently smudged. She was glad when they sat down and she was able to give her full attention to admiring his face. There was a window just beside their table, covered with a net curtain, and the grey afternoon light lit his pale features to perfection.

'Lettuce,' she said gently, pushing her mug towards her.

'Oh, thanks,' she said breathlessly, taking it from him. She watched as he leaned over the table, carefully bisecting their pastry with a knife, then took a hasty gulp of her mocha as he caught her staring. It was scaldingly hot beneath its insulating layer of cream, and she swallowed with a wince. She could feel it burning its way down her throat, but in her stomach it began to feel pleasantly warm and filling. She looked up and found Pai shaking with silent laughter.

'What is it?' she demanded, disgruntled and not a little astonished.

'Nothing.'

'Pai...'

'You have cream on your nose,' he chuckled. Lettuce gave a half-amused, half-scandalised gasp, wiped it off and lunged. Pai's hands rose to block her, but Lettuce was faster than she looked. She darted beneath his arm and next instant had succeeded in wiping most of the cream onto his nose instead.

'I – you – Lettuce!' he spluttered indignantly, warding her off with one hand and mopping at his nose with the other.

'It serves you right for laughing,' she said, sitting back smugly to observe his efforts. 'Besides, now it matches your foam moustache.'

'I do not have a foam moustache!'

'Look a little closer, Pai-kun,' Lettuce smirked, dangling the silver sugar bowl in front of his face. Pai scrutinised his reflection for a moment, then gave a loud 'tcha!' and began to wipe his upper lip with a paper napkin.

'I knew I shouldn't have trusted you when you recommended that cappuccino all _innocently,_' he grumbled. Lettuce laughed easily and Pai felt his theatrical scowl bend into a smile in response. She was absolutely irresistible in this mood, looking more openly cheerful than he had ever seen her before.

'Your smile is so lovely,' he murmured, stroking her hair off her face. She ducked her head and smiled again, bashfully, then giggled again at the suspicious look he gave her as he raised his cup to his lips. He gazed at her lovingly over its rim as he drank, and then leaned forward to kiss her tenderly on the cheek.

'Pai, people are watching,' she fretted

'Let them watch,' he soothed, kissing her again. Lettuce fidgeted a little, but it was nice to be the one being kissed by a beautiful boy for a change, rather than the one sitting on the sidelines, not knowing whether to watch or look away. She could scarcely believe that this was Pai, her enemy, so cold and distant, teasing her and protecting her and buying her coffee. And kissing her, of course. He pressed his lips twice to the side of her neck and then pulled away with a sigh. 'I suppose you're right,' he agreed ruefully. 'It's discourteous to kiss too much in public. Besides, I'm distracting you from your food.' He looked pointedly at their untouched pastry.

Lettuce tutted mentally. How on Earth did he expect her to eat in this state? As he had predicted the first time they had kissed, she was burning for him. Suddenly she couldn't finish her mocha fast enough. She wanted them to be somewhere quiet and alone, with no table between them and no food to distract them, where he could hold her in his arms and she could ask him the million questions that were seething in her mind. Questions about him, about his life, about what he thought and the things he liked and the places he wanted to see. She thought about her travel guides in the library, the glowing pictures, the silence. Yes, that would be the perfect place.

They finished their drinks and stepped back out into the snow. It was falling more slowly now, in large, feathery flakes that skimmed erratically through the air before settling.

'So, where to now?' Pai asked, thrusting his hands into his pockets. He looked incredibly human, the breath rising from his mouth in white plumes exactly as it did for her.

'Ano...I thought I might...take you to the library,' she said, blushing deeply. The suggestion would seem odd to most people, she knew; she hoped he would prove different.

'The building where your analogue data is stored?' he clarified.

'Hai.'

'The building which I attacked with my data-storing chimeras?' He was definitely joking now; she could hear the laughter in his voice.

'Yes, Pai-kun, that building. Would you like to go there? I can show you how to use it properly.'

'Hmmm.' Pai turned to face her and held out his hand, grinning openly. 'Alright. Lead on!'

Lettuce paused to scoop up a handful of snow from a low wall as they turned the corner. 'It's very unusual,' she commented, 'to have snow in the city, especially before Christmas.' Lettuce had her own opinions on talking about the weather, and they were not all bad.

'I have observed that it causes considerable excitement among the younger humans. It makes me view the phenomenon in an entirely different light.'

'Oh yes.' Lettuce grew pensive; she had forgotten momentarily about the climate that Pai was used to.

'I would prefer sunshine, of course, but a little cold weather is fine. This soft snow is quite pleasant, in fact.'

'It makes it quiet...' Lettuce murmured. Pai didn't reply. He had been holding her hand loosely; now he lifted it and cupped it in both of his, tracing his fingers up her wrist.

'Pai-kun?'

'Your hands are cold,' he said, folding them together and wrapping them in his.

'Yes,' she nodded, 'a little.'

Pai gazed up into the sky, drawing her hands to his chest as he did so. The snow seemed to be easing, and a bright rift was showing in the sky above their heads. The storm would soon be over.

Her eyes turned back to Pai as he ran a hand along her jaw, curling it slowly around the back of her neck. Her heart began to pound. She felt as though she were melting despite the cold, and she gave a little gasp as her stomach clenched with nerves. At that Pai pulled her forwards, wrapping his arms securely around her and pressing his mouth against hers.

His mouth made a patch of scalding heat on her cold skin, and after so much anticipation the kiss screamed through every nerve in her body, setting her senses screaming for more. She fisted her hands in his hair and pulled herself up towards him, parting her lips. She had thought him a creature of snow and ice, but he was kind and loving and so very, very warm, kissing her, loving her...she gripped him with all her strength as a wave of protective love swelled inside her..._Pai-kun, you're not what the others think you are...under it all you're a beautiful person. I won't let anything harm you..._

She burrowed into the side of his neck and found that he smelt both alien and comfortingly familiar, that his skin was cooler than a human's but still warm-blooded, that his delicate ears twitched in reaction when she nuzzled against him. She caressed the side of his face as his lips moved in her hair, captivated with his balance of alien and familiar, and the touching and terrifying mortality that she found beneath his formidable exterior, when she pressed against him and felt his heartbeat. So many details: the lavender sheen on his hair, the texture of his skin, the shape of his hands. All so perfectly formed, and so easily destroyed. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't let anything take him away from her.

'Lettuce?' Pai said, and she realised that she'd stopped kissing back, too lost in her thoughts.

'I'm alright,' she said before he could begin to worry. 'I was just thinking...'

'Tell me what you were thinking?'

Lettuce sighed. 'Well...I was worrying. About what we're going to do about the others.'

'Well, that worries me too,' Pai answered, resting his cheek on the top of her head. 'But we'll find a way. Surely there must be some solution. But let's not think about that just yet; let's just have a little time together first. I have a plan that should dissuade Kisshu and Taruto from trying any more attacks for the time being, and that should make your leaders more kindly disposed to listen when we come to break the news.'

'I was also...worrying...' Lettuce's voice was barely a whisper now, and she pressed her face into his chest. '...about you. I don't want to lose you. I don't want anyone to harm you because of me. When Shirogane-san finds out...'

She was surprised by a low chuckle vibrating in his chest. 'Pai-kun?'

'I'm not quite as fragile as all that, Retasu-chan,' he grinned, leaning his forehead on hers.

'You don't think that Shirogane-san could take you?'

'No,' Pai said bluntly.

'What I meant,' Lettuce tried to explain, though Pai was making it difficult by nipping playfully at her lips, 'was that when he finds out, he's going to be angry, and he'll tell the other Mews – _kyah_!'

She doubled over with a squeal as Pai curled his fingers into her flanks, tickling her mercilessly. 'I think you're more than a match for them,' he purred, pulling her closer as she tried to fight away.

'N-nani?' Lettuce panted.

'I seem to remember you out-manoeuvring me very easily on several occasions,' he reminded her. 'Surely you remember?'

'Hmmm.' Shafts of sunlight crept through the clouds. Lettuce found herself smirking deviously as she looked up at Pai. 'I wouldn't be too self-assured if I were you...attack could be coming from ANYWHERE!' As she spoke the last word she scooped a fistful of snow from the wall behind them and thrust it down his neck.

It was his turn to scream. He ripped away from her with an indignant yell. Lettuce staggered with laughter as he tried to dislodge the snow before it melted, his wounded expression only sending her into further hysterics.

'_Lettuce!_' he protested for the second time that day.

'Hahahahahahaha!'

'You –' Pai seized another handful of snow and lobbed it at her. Lettuce ducked away, shrieking, as he dashed forward and rubbed it into her hair. She moulded herself a fresh snowball and hit him squarely in the chest with it, then turned around and ran for dear life.

When the crunching footsteps behind her stopped she knew she was in trouble. Then she felt him slam into her from behind, his arms closed around her and the ground fell away beneath them.

'No! Oh my God, are we flying? Stop, stop!' Her arms closed in a death grip around his neck.

'Lettuce, look down!' he cried as she tried vainly to hide her face in his shoulder.

'Look _down_? Shouldn't you be saying _don't _look down?'

'Just look, Lettuce!'

Lettuce gritted her teeth, opened her eyes and gasped.

They were flying away from the houses, heading for the park, and beneath them the ground was a blanket of untouched white. But that wasn't all. The sun had broken free of the clouds, and it turned the snow incandescent, a million sparkles glancing off it like some picture a child might paint, only real. Pai turned her in his arms so that her back was towards him and she had an uninterrupted view. With a laugh of wonder she tipped her head back to take in the blue rift in the sky where the wind was chasing the clouds away. The world looked limitless.

She felt her stomach swoop as Pai dipped into a dive. The ground looked so far away that she didn't worry about it at first, and then it was coming so close and so fast that she didn't have time to worry. They slammed into a thick drift of snow which sprayed up all around them, and before she could so much as draw breath Pai melded his mouth with hers. She thought she might pass out. The brightness of the sun, the cold of the snow, the sweet wet warmth of his mouth and the way it felt as it moved with hers...they were beyond description. At last he released her and she flopped back into the snow, panting for breath.

'Wow!' she gasped. 'Everything's gone all sprinkly!'

'Sprinkly?' Pai repeated doubtfully, but she saw that he was smiling.

'Yeah,' she said, sobering a little and sitting up. 'I think I was trying to say sparkly, but then I thought of those rainbow sprinkles you put on cupcakes and how they're all colourful and happy and sort of popping up here and there so...'

'I see,' Pai nodded gravely.

'Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to –' She choked off as Pai sprinkled a handful of snow over her face.

'You don't need to apologise for this.' He pulled her gently upright, cradling her in his arms. 'Lettuce...I haven't upset you, have I? I know you were really worried.'

'Not at all. Come on, the library is just on the other side of the park.'

They beat as much of the snow off their clothes as they could before entering the library. The librarian, who knew Lettuce well, gave her a friendly smile as she entered, and Pai seemed to meet with her approval as well.

'I don't think she recognised you,' Lettuce whispered once they were out of earshot, causing Pai to snigger.

They walked to a curved seat in a far corner of the room – the same place she had used to sit with the college student she had once liked, in fact – and Lettuce gathered a few of her favourite books.

'What now?' Pai asked.

'Um...' Lettuce faltered. What _did _one do in a public library, other than read? 'I don't know,' she admitted, beginning to blush. 'It's just a place where I like to be...'

But to her relief he didn't seem to be feeling awkward at all. He had pulled one of the books towards him and was flipping the pages, seeming equally intrigued by the information it contained and the structure of the book itself. She pulled one of her favourite photo albums towards her, and they read in comfortable silence for a while.

Eventually Pai seemed to shake himself.

'Gomen, am I boring you?' he asked, and Lettuce jumped, because she'd asked that question so many times herself when she found herself drifting off into a book. Usually it was the cue for whoever she was with to lie: '_No, of course not' _and the friendship to begin to deteriorate, but this time...

'Not at all,' she replied. 'What is it you're reading?'

Pai showed her the cover. It was a compilation of genetic research papers. 'This is wonderful,' he said. His voice sounded thick and fervent. 'I've been studying DNA for years, gathering the information we need for our chimeras, but everything I've been trying to find out is here, so much more clearly expressed, and it deals with Earth species that I've never had the opportunity to research...of course, with our situation, it's impossible to get the time or technology we need for thorough research, but there's a wealth of information that you humans have already discovered...' He tailed off, gazing along the aisles of books like a prospector admiring fabulous jewels. Lettuce looked over his shoulder and found that she understood a fair portion of what was being said in the text he was reading.

'What I wouldn't give to work with this man,' Pai muttered, turning a page.

'You can,' Lettuce smiled. 'When we're known for being the ones who first made peace between humans and Cyniclons, he'll be glad to research with you.'

'I look to the day,' Pai smiled, putting an arm around her.

'Are you done?' Lettuce asked, reaching forward to turn the page.

'I don't read very fast in traditional Japanese,' Pai confessed after a moment.

She had no idea where her next suggestion came from.

'I could read it aloud to you if you like.'

Pai's answering smile was the biggest she'd ever seen him give. He settled comfortably against her shoulder as she took the book and began to read, raising a hand to run her fingers through his hair, the words coming more and more easily as she went on...they must sound incredibly geeky to a listener, she thought, a couple whose idea of fun was to read science journals aloud in the library, but the thought was more one of pleasure than embarrassment –

'Would you _take_ your _feet_ off the chair, young man!'

Lettuce jumped violently as she came out of what could only have been described as a small trance. She found that she had let her voice to rise to normal volume, that Pai's head had somehow wound up in her lap and that an irate librarian was swiping at his feet with a sheaf of magazines.

'There are people trying to study right around the corner from you,' she hissed at Lettuce. 'Keep your voice down! And we can't have you trekking mud all over the cushions either. Other people need to use this facility and it's hard enough to keep it open without this kind of antisocial behaviour.'

'G-gomen!' Lettuce stammered, apologetic but also hardly able to keep back her laughter at the irony of the situation. They leapt to their feet, Pai wrapping his arm protectively around her shoulders, and fled, with the librarian tutting along behind them.

They ran hand in hand along the road towards her house, letting their laughter break out once they were sure they were out of earshot.

'Poor Pai-san,' Lettuce giggled. 'I forgot to warn you about the downside of public libraries...it's odd, when you're on your own you behave perfectly and look down on anyone who doesn't, but as soon as you have company...' Lettuce knew she was rambling, but it didn't seem to matter. Pai was nodding in agreement. 'Maybe disruptive people aren't doing it on purpose,' Lettuce mused. 'Maybe they're just having fun.'

'A bit of both?' Pai suggested as they reached her front door. He spun her round to face him. It was getting dark now; she could just make out his face in the light from the windows.

'Maybe,' she agreed. 'What time is it?'

'Nearly seven o'clock.'

'Phew, just in time!' Lettuce whistled. 'I wouldn't want to be late back on my first date.'

'No.' Pai leaned down and pecked her on the lips. 'That would be awkward. Goodnight, Retasu-chan. I'll come and see you again as soon as I can.'

'Goodnight, Pai-kun,' she whispered, standing on tip-toe to return his kiss. '...sweet dreams.'

'You too.' He brushed his lips across her cheek and then stood and waited while she let herself into the house. They exchanged a last wave and then she closed the door. Shutting it with him still standing there felt horrible, so Lettuce waited a moment and then opened it again. The street was empty.

'Lettuce-chan, is that you?' her mother called, walking out from the living room. That room had large windows looking out onto the street, and Lettuce was seized by a sudden suspicion which was confirmed when Mrs Midorikawa said:

'Did you have a good time, darling. My, he _is _very handsome, isn't he?'

'Oh, stop it,' Lettuce grumbled, blushing to the roots of her hair.

**A/N: Yay for directionless fluff! And also for pathetic fallacy! (Use of weather to echo the mood of the characters. Thunderstorms for dramatic chases, etc.) Don't worry, the sappiness can stop any time you guys get sick of it, and plot can ensue. But first I have two more (better, because I really do feel sick to my stomach now) chapters of it which I MUST get down.**

**Ciao!**

**PS. This chappie is dedicated to the first pre-Christmas snow, and the first five-day period of snowy weather (in England, that is) that I have experienced in my short life. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Nagusami**

**A/N: In this chapter, for those of you who are getting sick of the endless fluff, I have tried to insert a few hints of plot. Many thanks to GypsyxSilent for your guidance in this. But actually I ended up just boring myself. Anyway, we've got what I believed to be my kawaiiest PxL moment ever...back when I wrote it, in July or thereabouts...**

**WOW, that was a long time ago!**

**P.S. I'm talking about July LAST YEAR.**

**I have been obsessed with this pairing for _way_ too long.**

'I'm docking your pay. Now get this mess cleaned up and make sure you turn up on time for the rest of the week.'

Ryou turned away from the spluttering Ichigo and stalked across the café. He kept it together just long enough to close the staff door quietly behind him, then stormed down the corridor to the basement, flinging the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall and nearly hit him in the back of the head. Not bothering to switch on the lights, he strode further into the hot darkness of the computer lab, slumped into his swivel chair and hit his head on the desk.

_Ow. That _had hurt more than he'd intended.

It was at times like this that he could really empathise with Kish – and empathising with the enemy was _not_ good. Just another entry to add to the stack of problems that Momomiya Ichigo had brought on him.

That stupid girl. She wouldn't even stop for a moment to think of anything outside her precious Aoyama, and he completely understood Kish's frustration, which must be born out of his own conflict and guilt mixed with the knowledge that he would never be in with a fair chance, because Ichigo would never properly consider it. Ryou himself didn't have the guilt, and his feelings were hard enough to contend with as it was. Ridiculous, self-centred girl...but no matter how easily the scornful words came, he knew he was no freer of his love for her. That was what frightened him: that he could be so close to despising someone and still _want _them...

'Why did I have to be her boss?' he muttered miserably to himself. 'All I ever get the chance to do is order her around and send her into danger. But couldn't she at least _try _to do her job properly? She doesn't even attempt to get along with me.'

'Shirogane-san?' The door opened a crack and Lettuce peered round, the soft, nervous tone of her voice rubbing him up exactly the wrong way.

'_What_?' he snarled, spinning the chair round. Lettuce flinched backwards, her eyes startled behind their glasses.

'Gomen, Shirogane-san. Akasaka-san wanted to ask you where you filed the recipes for American-style brownies...'

Suddenly Ryou felt the anger drain out of him, to be replaced by weariness. He wasn't being fair. Of all the people in the café, Lettuce was probably the one who least deserved to be shouted at for no reason, and the one least able to stand up to it as well. Especially from him. He remembered what Keiichiro had said a few days before. '_You must be aware that Lettuce-san has feelings for you... Ryou...you _must_ have known that, surely?_'

'I'm sorry, Lettuce-san,' he said. Why couldn't he have decided to like her instead of Ichigo? At least she knew a thing or two about common decency, and would have turned him down gently. 'Uuuh...I think I had that book out, making a few annotations...it should be in my desk drawer. Wait a moment.' He heard her walking across the room towards him as he rummaged around, lifting papers and finally coming up with a heavy volume which canvassed the preparation of American-style chocolate cakes, biscuits and other deserts at a level of specialisation that only Keiichiro would have thought worthwhile.

'Arigatou, Shirogane-san,' Lettuce smiled, taking it from him. Ryou breathed out slowly, enjoying the sensation of just being sincerely thanked for something for once. He looked up at Lettuce, and she met his eyes with a look that was much more direct than normal. Usually she would have been blushing and ducking her head, making herself invisible. He found that he rather liked this new, subtle confidence. It inspired trust, without being any less gentle than her normal manner. He found himself smiling back, a little of his stress melting away.

'Try not to let Ichigo-san bother you,' Lettuce said suddenly. 'I know it's hard, but I really don't think she hates you. It's just a stressful time for all of us, and she's very young to have so much to worry about –'

'You're not much older,' Ryou put in, 'and you don't go crazy over the slightest thing.'

'No,' Lettuce grinned, straightening up. 'But I'm special. Thank you for the recipes, Shirogane-san.'

'Ryou. Call me Ryou.' The words came tumbling out almost before he'd thought them, born of some unconscious desire to draw some kind of distinction between her and the other Mews, to show that they drove him mad and she didn't. To make this feeling of having someone on his side last longer, basically.

'Ano...' Lettuce stammered, blushing to the roots of her hair. 'O-okay, Sh – Ryou-san. Thank you.' With one last smile she turned and slipped out of the room, pausing at the door to send one last smile over her shoulder.

Yes, Ryou reflected, Midorikawa Retasu was rather special.

* * *

'Hiiiyaaaaaaahhhhh!'

Pudding gave a squeal, diving to the side and dropping her bag of café groceries as a pair of bright red balls whistled past her ear. She rolled to her feet, grabbing her pendant, and looked around for her attacker.

'Taru-taru! What are you doing here, na no da?'

'What does it look like?' the youngest alien demanded, streaking past her and scooping up his weapon. I came to make you cry, because I'm bored.'

'Bored?' Pudding echoed. 'So this isn't a proper attack, na no da?'

'Nah,' Tart said, swinging his clacky-balls again. 'Pai says we're not supposed to attack again until he's finished his latest plot – the one _you're_ not allowed to know about –' He swooped at Pudding, who ducked – 'but whatever. If you ask me, he's been acting strangely ever since he went to kill your fishy friend and came back without his shirt...Kish _still _won't explain – AARRGGHH!'

He spun clumsily sideways as Pudding fired an attack at him, righted himself and floated quickly up out of reach.

'Hah,' he said. 'It looks like you're no fun after all, so...'

He teleported, very quickly.

'Yes!' Pudding did a little hop on the spot. 'I beat him, na no da!' She bent to pick up her dropped bag, and as she did so her expression turned thoughtful. 'Pudding wonders what he meant about Pai, no da...'

* * *

Lettuce hurried down the street towards the shopping complex, huddling her jacket tighter round herself as she did so. At five o'clock on a February evening the sky was already almost dark, but the broad thoroughfare was well-lit with streetlights and bustling with people, and she didn't feel uncomfortable. She had a few things to pick up before she went home: milk, some lunchbox snacks for the week, a packet of biros to replace the ones that were continually going missing around her house. She seemed to be continually losing track and running low in things lately – but she felt that the new confidence, cessation of attacks and all-round happiness that Pai had brought her more than made up for a little lapse in organisation now and then.

The air was not dry and cold as it had been last week when she had Pai had walked in the snow, but damper and more oppressive. It would have been warmer too, but sudden, chilly gusts of wind kept puffing at her from all sides, flapping her jacket and getting down her neck. It felt stormy.

There was a collective gasp from the people around her as a brilliant flash of lighting lashed the horizon. Several seconds later the distant thunder boomed. It might have been frightening, but storms didn't really bother Lettuce any more. They reminded her of Pai.

A raindrop landed on her nose.

Even as she jumped and blinked she heard another one land, and another and another...within seconds the air was full of pattering, and she felt the wetness beginning to soak through the shoulders of her jacket...

'Oh, bother,' she muttered as the heavens opened.

The street she was in was full of designer boutiques, already rolling down their screens to prevent people from trekking rain and mud around their precious clothes. Lettuce ducked her head, wrapped her arms around herself and ran, her eyes fixed on the bright supermarket complex at the next junction. The rain was rapidly turning into a torrent; she had to get undercover before she got completely soaked.

The pavements were full of people pulling out umbrellas, ducking into doorways, or running like she was. People were bound to head for the supermarket, and she lengthened her stride, putting all the fitness from fighting into use, eager to arrive ahead of the crush. As she drew near to the door someone else appeared out of the gloom to her left...someone whose profile in the corner of her eye looked very familiar...

She shot out of the rain into the brilliant light of the mall, and twisted her head to the side without breaking stride.

'Shirogane-sa –'

She skidded sharply on the wet floor, and Ryou dived forwards and caught her.

'Midorikawa-san,' he panted, pulling her upright. 'Thank goodness...we're out...of that! Good to see you.'

Lettuce collapsed against a pillar and began to giggle without quite knowing why. The thunder crashed outside, and Ryou began to chuckle too at her expression. A passer-by threw them a scandalised look and Lettuce laughed even harder, then stopped and sneezed violently.

'I'm f-f-f-freezing.' Her teeth were starting to chatter.

'Yeah.' Ryou jogged on the spot, his arms wrapped around himself, shivering. 'D'you want to get coffee?'

'Th-that would be a g-g-good idea,' Lettuce nodded, shaking her drenched hair out of her eyes. 'I've never met you out before, have I?'

'I don't get out much,' Ryou shrugged.

'Me neither. So what are you out for this evening?'

'Instant coffee. Keiichiro doesn't usually let us run out, but you know. These things happen.'

'Yuh-huh.' Lettuce scanned the shop signs until she found a Starbucks and headed towards it. Ryou watched her as she placed her order.

'You seem pretty adept at this, for someone who doesn't get out much,' he observed.

'Coffee and pastries are my one indulgence. It's cheaper to just make your own, but I like seeing it all laid out and getting to choose...one has to spend one's pocket money on something, ne?'

'Mmm. Of course, living with Keiichiro...he's more than happy to make anything I want to eat –' they both smiled fondly at this analysis of the pastry-chef's character – 'but it's nice to be out with a friend for a change.'

Lettuce blinked in surprise. Of course, Ryou had always been like this: brief moments of sweetness and solidarity, unexpected dark moods, always difficult to read...it had been that that had pulled her into crushing him, before she'd fallen even harder and more hopelessly for Pai – the hope that, beneath his spiky exterior, she might find somebody like herself. And now that she was over her crush, and could bring herself to actually _look_ at him – listen while he talked, and respond to his remarks – she found that she really did like him, very much.

'It was nice to run into you, Lettuce-san,' he said as they finished their coffee and stood.

'Hai,' Lettuce agreed. He smiled at her, more warmly than she had ever seen him do before, and suddenly she felt an urge to blurt out everything that had happened between her and Pai...She restrained it, but her mood was happy and incredibly hopeful as they left the café. Eventually the others would have to know about her and Pai, and she felt that Ryou would be a good person to tell. He would react well. He cared enough about the Mews, the project and the Earth to see that having an alien willing to talk would be a good thing. He was much too intelligent to be blinded by shock or anger...and now, he even seemed to like her.

_First Pai and Zakuro, now Shirogane-san_, she thought as she waved goodbye to him. All these cold, fearsome people, turning out to be so decent and _fun_ underneath. _I never thought I would be brave enough to be around anybody like them, but now...it turns out that Shirogane-san has a really sweet side. He just needs someone to be patient with him, like Akasaka-san is...I'll talk to Ichigo sometime._

* * *

Pai sighed and rubbed a hand across his eyes, which were dry and smarting with tiredness. He stared ahead for a moment, and the computer screen glared back. It might help if their base were better lit –

'Pai, you're not _still_ up, are you?'

Pai allowed himself a very quiet groan as Kish's abrasive voice came echoing across the base.

'Seriously, man,' Kish continued, floating to hang upside down between Pai and the computer so that the older alien couldn't possibly ignore him, 'you've been at it for hours. Go to bed.'

_What are you, my mother?_ Pai felt like snapping, but he held back. What might seem like negligible lapses in restraint to him could provide Kish with weeks of ammunition for his teasing, as Pai knew from bitter experience. 'I'm not tired,' he said instead. 'Besides, this work is coming along well.'

'Huh.' Kish pulled himself upright, landed on his feet behind Pai and turned to lean heavily on the back of his chair. 'Blatant lie.'

'Kisshu,' Pai said. 'I will go to bed when my research is complete. And in the meantime, you should follow your own advice.

Kish didn't reply, just folded his arms, slouched on one hip and gave him an insolent stare.

Pai sighed. 'Fine. Well, if you're here, you might as well do something useful. Tell me what you've done today. Anything productive?'

'I made some good progress on our chimeras,' Kish said at once. 'I can't tell exactly when they'll be ready yet, but I don't see any difficulties or dead ends coming up, so we should be able to make consistent advances.'

Pai blinked in surprise. That was the kind of report – and the kind of constructive work – that he normally did. Kish usually had to be ordered and bullied into doing anything useful around the ship.

'Then,' Kish continued, 'well...you said that we should lay off our attacks on the Mews for a few weeks, while we developed a more powerful chimera, but I don't think it's a good idea to let them go about their business entirely unobserved in the meantime. So I spent the late afternoon tailing one of them.'

'Mew Ichigo?' Pai asked.

'No. Mew Lettuce.'

Pai stilled, his stomach lurching briefly, and then struggled with himself, trying to smooth out his face. 'Did you find out anything useful?' he asked as evenly as he could.

'Maybe,' Kish shrugged. Was he watching Pai more carefully than usual, or was Pai just being paranoid? The alien boy's manner was still completely relaxed. 'I followed her to her home, which could be handy to know...she spent most of the day at that café of theirs, just keeping up the cover as far as I could tell, but afterwards she went to a different shop and drank some coffee with Shirogane. I was particularly interested in that.'

'Why?' Pai blurted out the question, trying to keep Kish talking and cover his own thoughts. He stared hard, but Kish's eyes were unreadable – either that or there was nothing to read. But if so, why this sudden interest in Retasu of all people?

'Why what?' Kish asked nonchalantly.

'Why do you find this so interesting? I don't see that these humans' relationships are any concern of ours.'

'Well, it's useful to know who cares for whom, ne?' Kish said. 'If Shirogane-baka has feelings for Mew Lettuce – or vice-versa – we could use it against them sometime. Every little bit of information is important. Or at least, that's what you always said.'

'Maybe so.' Pai took a deep breath, trying to relax the tension in his muscles. 'But I think you're counting your chickens before they're hatched. The fact is unlikely to be of any use to us.'

Kish gave a mutinous pout.

'I will bear it in mind, though,' Pai added diplomatically. 'I agree that it could be useful if we ever decide to try a hostage situation.'

'Okey-dokey!' Kish hopped cross-legged into the air, and Pai dared to hope that he might be going to give it a rest. 'Hey,' he said, leaning forward from his floating posture. 'You look bothered. Too much caffine?'

'Or too much Kish,' Pai countered, swatting half-heartedly at his head. Kish dodged away and zoomed off, coming to rest just outside the exit from the main hall.

'Huh,' he muttered to himself, glancing back. 'Well, whoever he feels like confiding in, it's definitely not me.' He frowned to himself. 'Patronising bastard.'

Back at his computer, Pai breathed out heavily through clenched teeth, rubbing a hand unconsciously back and forth along his jaw. It was ridiculous. Nothing. It wasn't even worth thinking about. Humans met up and socialised and drank coffee with one another all the time...

Not Lettuce, though. She was often on her own. She only drank coffee with him. _Him and Shirogane..._

Don't _think about it!_ he ordered himself. _Think about how happy she looked last time she ran to meet you, and be glad if she's making some other friends as well. You're just not used to this love business, that's all...you're being too possessive..._

He shifted his hand to his mouth, stifling a yawn. Kish was right, he was tired, more than tired. Exhausted. But only in mind, not in body, and that was the problem. He was strong, needing a full day's hard work to tire him, and he wasn't used to this planet's mild climate. On his homeworld, one burned most of one's energy just keeping warm. Here it was only after a battle with the Mews that he felt tired enough to sleep quickly, and the rest of the time a mix of excess energy and worry served to keep him awake till the small hours. And of course there were more worries and less fighting now that he had fallen in love.

He didn't want to go to bed. He had tried that already, and spent a torturous hour tossing and turning in the dark, his mind buzzing. He had reached the stage where the tiredness had rendered him too uncomfortable to sleep. He reached for his almost-empty mug of coffee, swigged the dregs and found them stone-cold.

Good grief, how long had he been sitting there?

The cold coffee was bitter and unpleasant, but its aroma was bringing back memories of the first time he had tried the drink, with Lettuce by his side. It was proving a life-saver whenever he felt like pulling an all-nighter, even though he knew deep down that it was probably compounding the problem in the long run. It hadn't been hard to invent a lie for how he had discovered coffee, but explaining why he would willingly make use of a human idea had proved trickier. Kish had spent a worryingly long time needling him about it, a glitter in his eyes that could have been aimless malice or something more perceptive. It had been just a day after he suggested that they lay off the attacks for a few weeks, lulling the Mews into a false sense of security while they produced a more powerful Chimera which could hopefully take them out in one big offensive. That was the story he had told the other two, anyway, but he wasn't sure that Kish had bought it, though he set to work with no more argument than usual. Kish might behave as though he couldn't be bothered, but Pai knew that his careless exterior concealed a mind that thought keenly and missed little.

_I should be more careful,_ he thought. _That damn Kish; he lulls me into a false sense of security and then pulls something like this...I can't just expect to get away with disappearing for hours at a time to see human girlfriends... if he hasn't realised yet, he's bound to eventually._ But being more careful was the exact opposite of what he wanted. If only he could spend more time with Lettuce – if only he could be there all the time, part of her life, like a human boyfriend. Maybe then he would feel more secure.

He took another breath of the coffee scent, and it conjured up images of her behind his eyes. He scowled. Forget Kisshu. He wanted to see her, now. If he could do that, he would feel better. A change of scene might help to settle him, at the very least.

Of course, she would most likely be getting ready for bed, if not already asleep, and in no position to entertain. He would probably find the house in darkness, and that would be lonely and depressing. On the other hand, he might arrive in time to wish her goodnight. Pai hesitated, then got decisively to his feet.

A few seconds he was floating in the air, staring down at Lettuce's house. The entire street was dark and silent, except for the patter of rain and the occasional swish of a passing car. But in the window he knew to be Lettuce's, there was a light.

* * *

Lettuce sat at her desk, her hand moving idly over the paper in front of her. For an hour or so she had been working most productively on an essay for school, finding the moment too lucid to waste on sleep, but she was starting to drift and doodle now, which probably meant that it was time for bed.

Uh-oh, now she was reaching for different colours to draw in. That meant she definitely couldn't claim to be working any more. She looked down at what she'd done. Eloquent discussion on the ethics of cloning, then wavering lines which twisted, further down, into a more purposeful pattern, forming eyes, strands of hair, the suggestion of a jaw line, shaded with purple and grey. Lettuce blushed a little, propping her chin on her hand, her eyes far away.

A sharp tap sounded behind her.

Lettuce jumped violently and twisted round, sending a glue stick tumbling to the floor. Stupid, top-heavy things. The tap came again, and this time she recognised what it was. A set of knuckles, rapping against glass.

Pai?

She crossed the room and hauled the window open, letting in a rush of sound from outside. It was tipping with rain. Then her heart leapt. Pai was half-flying, half-hanging beneath her window, his upturned face lit palely by her bedroom light. His fingers were resting on the sill, and she reached out automatically to grasp them as she spoke.

'Pai! Is anything wrong?'

'No,' he reassured her quickly, 'nothing's wrong. I just...wanted to see your face.' He hesitated almost shyly. 'I hope I'm not intruding?'

'Of course not!' Lettuce exclaimed, her face lighting up. 'Come in or you'll be soaked.' She pulled the window open as wide as it would go and stepped aside as he clambered into the room, shaking his dripping hair out of his eyes. He couldn't have been out there for long, as his clothing was still mostly dry, but there were dark patches of wet on his shoulders and raindrops slid down his face and hung from the clean jaw she'd been trying idly to capture before.

'Pai-kun –' she said stepping forward.

'No need to get us both drenched,' Pai said gruffly, holding her at arm's length while he mopped futilely at his face. Lettuce gently reached up and stopped his hand.

'I can get you a towel if you want,' she said. 'Pai-kun, I'm glad to see you.'

'And I you.' His hand closed around hers, holding it to his cheek. His smile was warm, but she thought it seemed less energetic than usual, and looking closer she saw that there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. In a way they made him more handsome – they echoed the indigo of his eyes to perfection – but it was a gaunt sort of beauty. There was something strange in his expression too, something hesitant and longing. Almost sad. She was puzzled. What had brought that on?

'Pai-kun,' are you alright?' she asked.

'Yes. Yes, I'm fine.' It seemed to take him a moment to pull together an answer, and Lettuce noticed the slight droop of his head and shoulders. 'I just came to wish you goodnight. I didn't mean to disturb you; were you going to bed?' He glanced at the neatly folded nightclothes on her bed.

'Well, I was about to, but I don't mind staying up longer. You can sit down if you want to.' Lettuce moved back to her desk and began to pack away her school work, surreptitiously sliding the sketches of Pai out of sight. 'I'm honestly not tired.'

'I wish I could say the same,' Pai muttered ruefully, perching himself on a chair. He rubbed his eyes and Lettuce grimaced in sympathy. She could imagine all too well the aches that must be pricking behind them. She was no stranger to the feeling herself.

'And here you are worrying about keeping me up,' she chided gently. 'You work much too hard. You should go to sleep.'

'I can't sleep,' Pai admitted softly. 'Not tonight.'

'I know exactly what you mean,' Lettuce said. 'Too many ideas.'

'And worries,' Pai added. He felt vulnerable in confessing this to her – all their conversations so far had been about earning her trust, calming her anxieties. But what was the relationship if they couldn't be honest with one another? 'Lettuce, I –'

'Pai-kun?' she asked, stepping towards him with worry in her face.

His nerve broke. 'It's nothing. I wanted to see you, because...nothing. I'm tired. I thought a change of scene might help.'

Lettuce bit her lip in confusion. She felt that there must be something troubling him, but she couldn't for the life of her think what it was.

'It's horrible when you're tired and you can't sleep,' she said, 'but right now I'm honestly not sleepy at all. So you can stay for a while, if you want.'

'That would be good,' Pai nodded. 'I've had just about all I can take of that place right now.' His voice fell away to a whisper on the last words, and he dropped his head into his hands. Lettuce watched him in consternation. He must be feeling terrible.

She chewed her lip for a moment, then crossed over to her bed and propped the pillows up against the headboard. She settled herself against them and called:

'Pai-kun, come here.'

He looked up, and then teleported across, making her jump. Laughing slightly, she took his shoulders and tugged him gently backwards until his head came to rest in her lap.

'Lettuce?'

'Just relax, Pai-kun,' she said soothingly. 'You need some sleep.' Pai looked up at her for a moment and then closed his eyes.

He felt her unwind the binding on his hair and begin to run her fingers through it, continuing until it was all loose and the slight ache caused by its weight entirely soothed away. She smoothed the tousled strands back from his forehead and began to massage his scalp, sliding her fingers through his hair and down to the nape of his neck. His breathing was growing deeper and more regular, his shoulders slowly unstiffening as she rubbed them in gentle circles with the tips of her fingers.

Then she softly stroked his ears, and he hastily bit back a gasp. His first instinct was to shake her off, but he forced himself to lie quiet and still, and to let her continue, though all she had to do to cause him excruciating pain was to crush one of his ears in her fist...

Did she have _any_ idea how good that felt?

He hadn't even realised he was cold, but her hands felt deliciously warm as they cupped his ears and slid along them from base to tip, erasing the chill of the rain. At the same time she was quieting the anxiety in his heart. He had known that it would be better when she was there with him. His fears were nothing but the product of separation and his own mind. He couldn't believe that there was anything in Kish's story now – not while she was touching him like this.

'Ah,' he sighed, 'Lettuce...'

'Go to sleep,' she whispered, cupping his cheek to draw him closer to her. Pai let his eyes fall shut again and slowly abandoned himself to her touch. It felt unnerving to relinquish control to her – a small part of his mind persisted in reminding him that she was the enemy – and he was afraid to let her attention dwell on any feature that might remind her of his alienness. But this new vulnerability was thrilling as well as frightening. It made him feel more connected to her, hers as she was his. He began to relax more fully, letting her lull him into a dark, peaceful state where all he could feel was her fingers running through his hair and along his ears and down his neck, and where sleep reached gently out to fold him in its arms.

Lettuce heard his breath come out in a deep sigh and felt him slump in her arms. She continued to stroke his face and neck until she was sure that he was fast asleep, and then slid his head very carefully off her lap and stood up, gathering her pyjamas and slipping quietly out of the room.

She showered and brushed her teeth in a daze, unable to think of anything but Pai, his head a warm, heavy weight in her lap, and the way the frustration and tiredness had slowly ebbed out of his face as she soothed him. That was what she wanted to do for him, she realised, every day. Stop him from worrying and hurting, and make him happy. She climbed slowly into her pyjamas, eyes far away. She loved him. Her whole body felt weak and tender with it, and she was suddenly eager to be by his side again.

She ran lightly along the landing and slipped back into her room. Pai was lying exactly as she had left him, stretched out on his back with his eyes closed. His face still looked a little strained. She hoped he would sleep for a long time.

It was only a single bed, but there was room enough for two. Holding her breath, she climbed very carefully over him, settling down on his other side where there was room. She propped herself up on one elbow for a moment to admire him, free for once from the piercing beam of his gaze, which always took a little courage to meet. She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. Pai mumbled something in his sleep and rolled onto his side, curling his whole body around it. His ear twitched a little and then was still.

Lettuce smiled at the unconscious gesture of affection, sliding her other arm through the gap between his neck and the pillow and wrapping it around him. She placed a tender kiss on the nape of his neck and then closed her eyes, letting herself begin to drift slowly off to sleep.

**A/N: Yeah, so I edited this chapter with some SCENES in the middle, to try and make my plot work out a bit better. There's another couple of chapters coming right up. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Whoop-de-doo, it's another of my pre-holiday inbox-stimulating panic-updates! Celebrate! Also, it's my birthday (Monday the 5****th****). So what all this adds up to is**

**REVIEWWWWWWW!**

**You are morally obligated. Sorry, but it's true.**

**Also these Japanese chapter headings are really freaking me out now. None of them have achieved the original sizzle of the 'Arashi' one, which captured the simile of Pai v.s. the storm and had a pleasing ring. Thanks Essence. Are they freaking you guys out as well? Because you know we can always switch to nice straightforward numbered chapters. But then that would be untidy...**

**I'm getting a cactus for my birthday! Can anybody give me a review which is more awesome than a cactus? **

**I think I'm just rambling here, so I should probably get on with the story.**

**Oh yeah, I forgot to say. You know when I said that the previous chapter was the fluffiest EVER? Well, I lied. **

He was warm. Warmer, perhaps, than he'd ever been in his life. Not hot from the battle, not sweating over an overheating computer, just comfortably, deliciously warm.

There was no need to remember where he was. His nostrils were full of her coffee-and-crisp-paper smell, and there was the sense of lush spring, of things green and growing, that had infused all his dreams and stayed with him as he woke. Pai shifted, becoming aware of a solid form in his arms, and opened his eyes.

Sunshine was spilling through the window, winking off drops of rain left over from last night. Lettuce was lying with her head on his chest, her arms either side of him, still fast asleep. She was wearing a pair of pale pink pyjamas which clashed softly with her sage-green hair. _She really does look like an angel right now,_ he reflected. Her cheeks were flushed with sleep, and a faint smile lingered round her rosebud mouth. He hoped it might be an unconscious reaction to his presence.

As he watched her she shifted a little and knotted her fingers into his shirt, burrowing against his chest. A few strands of hair hung over her face, fluttering each time she breathed.

'Oh, my love,' Pai murmured, running his hand over her hair. Who knew that having your heart stop beating would feel so wonderful? _What am I doing here?_ he wondered. _I'm only steering myself into trouble, but oh, she looks so beautiful..._ He brushed a cherishing hand across her cheek, and Lettuce gave a tiny moan and began to stir. Pai watched eagerly for her to wake. Beautiful as it was in sleep, her face was not complete without its centrepiece of blue eyes. Besides, he wanted to tell her how much he loved her.

'Pai...' Lettuce moaned sleepily, nuzzling closer against him. His heart skipped another few beats at the action. She was silent for a moment and then said:

'Hey. You're really here.'

'Yes,' he said, her simple sentence thrilling him to the core. How wonderful, that he should be here, across so much space, to share this perfect waking with her. He was drawing breath to speak again when she clambered up his chest, flopped on top of him and kissed him clumsily on the mouth.

He gasped and arched against her, his lips parting. Lettuce pressed down into his mouth, passion and tenderness mingling in each touch she gave him. She must surely still be half asleep to be so bold, but it pleased him to know that this was the way her instincts led her. Sure enough, after a moment she blushed and began to pull away, but he gripped her arms and whispered:

'Don't stop.'

She hesitated and then lowered her face to his again. He sighed deeply as their lips met; this was very close to pure bliss. He relaxed into the pillows, taking a more passive role in the kiss, gently encouraging her to explore his mouth more freely. He felt her tongue tracing his lips, unintentionally teasing, and then she began to push deeper into his mouth. He gave a faint moan, trying to encourage her without scaring her. She pressed down harder for a moment and then broke the kiss with agonising slowness, drawing away until their lips were just barely brushing to whisper:

'I love you, Pai-kun.'

'I love you too,' he replied, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears. 'You look beautiful,' he added after a moment. It seemed wrong to let the fact go unobserved.

'Arigatou,' she said, ducking her head and blushing, but she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Pai watched it appear with bated breath. Exquisite. He smiled briefly in response and then sat up, tucking her firmly into his chest.

'D-did you sleep well, Pai-kun?' she asked, a little shakily. He could feel her arms trembling as they wrapped around him. Tightly. He squeezed her in response and answered:

'Hai. Very well, thank you. And you?'

'Mmmm,' she nodded, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder.

'You weren't crowded at all?'

'Nuh-uh. In fact I slept better than I usually do; you're quite cuddly when your asl – GOMEN!'

Pai watched, surprise mingling with affectionate amusement, as she flung her arms across her face and blushed brilliantly. 'I can't believe I said that!' she wailed.

Suddenly Pai laughed. 'You're cuddly too,' he said, pulling her back into his arms and lying them down again. Lettuce's face was so red that he could feel the heat of it through his shirt, but after a moment she snuggled into him again.

'Pai-kun?'

'Hmmm?'

'We should get up soon. Before my mum comes in to check on me.' Lettuce sneaked a quick look at his face, and then giggled at his pouting expression. 'Yes, baka, we have to get on with our lives eventually...' She pecked him on the lips and reached across him for her alarm clock. 'Help, is that the time, I need to be getting _dressed..._'

She leapt out of bed, caught her foot on Pai's ankle and toppled forwards with a yelp. Pai leapt up as well, seizing her under the arms.

'Arigatou...' Lettuce panted. 'Gah, I need coffee, can't think...'

She pulled away from him and began to pat over her dresser and then along her desk, her brow furrowed.

'Er, Lettuce...what are you doing?' Pai asked warily.

'Looking for my glasses. Bah, I must have put them down somewhere funny last night and now I can't find them...one tiny change to my routine and my brain melts.'

'You left them in the bathroom, maybe?' Pai suggested.

'Yes, that'll be it, I expect.' She made towards the door, then froze at the sound of footsteps crossing the room below.

'Ah, Ume will be in to jump on me any minute,' she whispered. 'Pai-kun, you should go...'

Swiftly he pounced on her and kissed her on the lips, pulling her body flush against his. 'I'll see you as soon as I can,' he whispered into her ear.

She stood on tip-toe to steal another kiss from him as he pulled away, and then he quickly teleported. The last thing he felt was her fingers brushing his cheek, melting away as he re-entered the aliens' dimension.

For a moment he stood still, just thinking, letting the moment linger. Then he began to turn back towards his computer, but before he could move he heard a voice speaking sharply from behind him.

'Pai,' Kish said coldly, floating down in front of him. 'How good of you to join us.'

'Good morning to you too, Kisshu,' he replied, making towards his work station. Before he could reach it there was a shimmer in the air and Kish teleported directly in front of him.

'Where were you?' he demanded.

'You told me to go to bed,' Pai said, 'so I did.'

'Oh, I'll _bet_ you did,' Kish snorted. 'Oh sure, our chimera could have been finished weeks ago, but –'

'If you have something to say, Kisshu, say it,' Pai cut him off, glaring.

'Oh, nothing,' Kish said. 'Just that a message came in while you were..._sleeping_, as you call it. You might want to go and check it out.' He took off, skimming over Pai's head and away into the recesses of the base.

Frowning, Pai booted up the computer. He drummed his fingers as it whined softly through its warm-up procedures, then bent forward as a white box flashed up on the screen.

A watcher would have seen him grow steadily more still and expressionless as he scrolled through its contents. Finally he finished reading the message and stood, staring blankly at the screen, his mind churning.

Deep Blue had grown tired of waiting, it said. It was believed that the current deployed forces were insufficient to secure the Earth. A new detachment of Cyniclons was due to arrive in three days, and he, Kish and Tart were expected to give them any assistance they might need in salvaging the situation. Their orders were simple: destroy Tokyo Mew Mew, then go straight for the military and government of Japan. With those who had the knowledge or power to defeat them gone, the rest would be easy. It was certain that the Earth would be theirs.

Lettuce sprinted along the pavement, holding her glasses on with one hand and grasping her bag with the other, and curling her toes to try and keep her sandals on. Now she thought she knew what Ichigo must feel like a lot of the time. Giddy, energetic and very, very late.

She couldn't help it that her sleep in Pai's arms had been longer and deeper than she was used to. Or that even after he'd left, when she'd seen the time and realised that she had to hurry, she hadn't been able to move faster than a drifting, dreamy pace, her mind still full of his smiles and kisses. And now she was late. Late!

And the scariest thing of all was that it actually felt quite exiting.

'...have been worryingly quiet recently,' Keiichiro was saying, tapping away at his computer. 'I'm afraid they might be planning something big.'

Ryou stood behind him with his arms crossed and his weight on one hip, barely keeping his patience. It was one of those days when he found himself in an inexplicable bad temper. Everybody had off days, Keiichiro would tell him soothingly whenever he felt this way. He should remember that he was still a teenager and inclined to be moody, even if he tried to take a man's work on his shoulders. But today even his best friend's soothing voice was grating on his nerves. It was hot in the basement, the Mews were quarrelsome, a fly was buzzing annoyingly against the window, and on top of it all the aliens seemed to be plotting something again.

'Are you getting any signals?' he asked tersely. Keiichiro shook his head.

'Nothing. No missing reports or strange sightings, no abnormal energy readings...'

'Right,' Ryou grunted. Raised voices came floating down from the café, and he turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs just in time to see Ichigo seize Mint's teacup and toss the contents out of the open window.

'Momomiya Ichigo, will you _pull yourself together!_' he roared. 'We open in _five minutes_!'

Ichigo whirled round and began to scream in response.

'Why? Why is it always me you pick to shout at? Zakuro and Pudding are still changing, Lettuce isn't even _here_ yet, Mint is doing _nothing at all_, and yet you still –'

'Ichigo-san.' Suddenly Keiichiro was there, taking her soothingly by the shoulders. 'Please, don't upset yourself. Shirogane-san didn't mean to single you out; we're all feeling under pressure, that's all...'

Ryou sighed. He was even annoyed with Keiichiro for intervening. A good long shouting match with Ichigo would have helped him to vent his feelings at least, and moreover the pastry chef was lying through his teeth. Ryou knew he had singled her out unfairly. He couldn't resist shouting at her when she was so cantankerous and oblivious and downright frustrating...

'Shirogane-san...sorry I'm late...'

Lettuce was leaning against the doorframe, breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed from running. He turned towards her and she met his eyes, anxiously awaiting his response. And to his own astonishment as well as hers, Ryou found his irritation replaced with a sudden surge of affectionate patience. Here was someone he could count on _not _to shout and throw tea out of windows, and really, how could he object to that?

'Actually, Lettuce, you're just in time,' he smiled. 'Go and get changed quickly, and then I want you to take the first shift welcoming and seating customers.'

'Hai, Shirogane-san,' she nodded, and hurried off towards the cloakroom.

The rest of the day was hellish. The snow had turned into lashing rain and the café was full of people trying to get out of the damp and cold. They trekked muddy water in across the floor, and the dirt and disorganisation seemed to infuse the atmosphere, making everyone tense and jittery. Keiichiro found some "caution: wet floor" signs and put them up, and after that it seemed that someone was knocking one of them over every five minutes. Each time, the clatter seemed to shoot right through Ryou's head, making him want to scream. Every time he wanted to cross the cafe, he had to focus on dodging around people. The Mews grew cross and fretful as they mopped the floor clean again and again. Keiichiro burnt himself on the oven and very nearly quarrelled with Ryou over whether he could afford to let the orders pile up while he stopped work to run it under the cold tap. Ryou felt at the end of his wits.

The café normally closed at five. At seven minutes to, Ryou gave up.

'Tell the customers we're closing,' he muttered to Zakuro, who happened to be closest. She nodded and made her way over to the door to hang up the closed sign.

Ryou leant against the wall, just out of sight of the dining area, and placed a hand over his eyes, rubbing his temples. Gradually, the roar of the café began to fade, from the mind-numbing babble of a busy day, to a gentle hum, to the thanks of a few stragglers, and finally, to blessed silence.

He decided it was time to risk opening his eyes again. Venturing out into the café once more, he found the Mews in their usual post-work slump. Ichigo was sprawled in a chair with her head on her arms, Mint had her eyes closed, Pudding was hanging limply from the ceiling and Lettuce and Zakuro were slowly beginning to clear the tables.

'Alright, girls,' Ryou said, taking up a wash cloth himself. 'Let's get this cleaned up and then you can go home.

Mint, Ichigo and Pudding slowly bestirred themselves and began to work. Ryou stacked a tray with empty mugs and began to carry it to the kitchen. As he turned, he felt Ichigo beside him. Abruptly he was regretful. Keiichiro was right, they were all tired, but now...

'Ichigo-san?'

'What?' she said, turning to him. 'Are you going to dock my pay?'

The apology died on his lips. A torrent of angry words rose to take its place, but Ryou held them back. He was too tired. 'Just try to keep your temper with Mint,' he muttered. 'You can go once you've finished clearing this table.'

'Ano...Shirogane-san?' Lettuce called. 'Gomen nasai, but is it OK if I leave now? I have some homework that I meant to do this morning, only I...slept in...' She blushed inexplicably.

Ryou looked at the space around Lettuce. It was already cleared; she had already been tidying while the other Mews were still resting. She had been the only one who had stayed calm and patient throughout the day, and now she was watching him out of wide, clear blue eyes...no trace of rancour, just politely, genuinely waiting for his answer.

'Yes, Lettuce,' he smiled. 'You've done good work today. I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Oh, sure, he lets _her_ off when she comes in late,' Ichigo muttered behind him.

And on impulse Ryou seized Lettuce's arm. What was he doing, still chasing after Ichigo when she was snarky and childish and only concerned with herself and her boyfriend? Lettuce was the gentle and conscientious one, the one who could make a person happy, the one who _deserved_ to have somebody like her.

'Do you want to go out some time?' he said in a rush.

Lettuce's eyes widened, and she went first red and then white. For almost thirty seconds she didn't speak, and Ryou began to realise that something was very, very wrong.

'Shirogane-san,' she whispered at last. 'I...' She looked near tears. 'I can't.'

Numbly, Ryou released her arm. The café was deathly silent. Every one of the Mews had heard.

Over his shoulder, he thought her heard a very quiet snort.

'OK then,' he managed. 'I'm sorry; please, forget I asked.' He even managed a smile. 'I'll see you tomorrow then.'

'H-hai?' Lettuce nodded. She still looked stricken, and her eyes were full of pity. She gave him a brief, nervous smile and hurried quickly out of the café.

Ryou realised he was still staring out of her. He shook his head violently, lowering his raised hand. He felt sickened with himself. Because he realised that, when he'd decided on impulse to ask her out, he'd thought he'd be doing her a _favour_. The perfect plan. Spite Ichigo, get himself into a pleasant relationship and give a deserving girl a shot of happiness, all in one go. But of course she'd said no. Keiichiro had been right. He had known from the start that Lettuce liked him, and he had been ignoring it in favour of pursuing Ichigo. And now she'd moved on. Of course she had. Leaving him with nothing but his own arrogance and the bitter taste of rejection in his mouth.

He was vaguely aware of the other Mews rattling around behind him, as though trying to make as much noise as possible to drown out the echoes of the scene that had just passed. Even Mint was scrubbing busily away at a table, her head ducked down between her shoulders. Ryou took a gulping breath and shook his head again, trying to pull himself together. _Come on, Shirogane, it's not like she was the love of your life. Just recover with dignity, learn from it, move on..._

He turned and hurried towards the corridor that led to the kitchen and the basement steps. As he excited the dining area Keiichiro appeared, carrying a tray of leftover cakes and drinks. Apparently he had decided that the day had been hectic enough to qualify as a snack day, and Ryou felt inclined to agree. As Keiichiro drew nearer, his face took on a questioning expression. Ryou hastily smoothed out his own features and groped for a casual remark.

'It's not like Retasu to be late,' he said.

'No,' the older man agreed lightly. 'Still, I hope you didn't come down too hard on her. She's normally very conscien –'

A siren wailed into life behind them.

'Ryou!' Keiichiro shouted, whirling round and diving for the basement steps. Ryou heard him clattering down them, and then the siren muted. He knew he should follow his friend, but first he glanced around the cafe, seeing if any of the girls had noticed. It wouldn't do to alarm them unduly...but he needn't have worried. Zakuro was in the changing rooms, blocked off from the sound by a thick door, Lettuce had already left, and Mint and Ichigo were bickering obliviously on the far side of the café. Only Pudding was in earshot, but she didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss. He was just turning to follow Keiichiro when the monkey-girl spoke.

'It must be because she's in love, na no da!'

'What?' Ryou said tersely, frozen with one hand on the banister.

'You were wondering why Lettuce-onee-chan was late. Pudding thinks she must be in love, no da, because that's exactly the way Ichigo-'nee-chan behaves...'

He was itching to get down to the basement and begin tackling the problem – a problem that must surely be more important than Pudding's random deductions – but something held him.

'Maybe she's in love with Pai-san, na no da!' Pudding exclaimed. 'The aliens haven't attacked us for weeks, and she never explained how she escaped from the sea that time...I think it's Pai-san! And Taru-taru says that Pai...'

Ryou would have ignored her. He would have dismissed it as nonsense. But just at that moment, Zakuro stepped out of the locker room, overheard them, and froze. Only for the blinking of an eye. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed. But this was Zakuro, who cared nothing for the gossip of her fellow Mews, and never missed a beat. Their eyes met for a moment, and Ryou recalled the morning when he had fretted to Keiichiro about Lettuce's unusual behaviour, when she and Zakuro had seemed to both be in on some delicious secret.

Zakuro broke eye contact and began to walk away. Ryou hesitated for a moment, then called after her.

'Zakuro-san!'

In the empty, echoing café, there was no way she could have failed to hear him. But she exited through the swing doors without looking back.

**A/N: You will experience some EDITS in the previous chapter, so go read it. **

**OK, I totally thought this chapter was going to contain Ryou-bashing, but it turns out I have more sympathy for him than I realised. Maybe I just hate him when he's paired with Lettuce instead of Pai. Is it coming across that I don't like Ichigo, though?**

**I'm sorry if Ryou liking Lettuce seems to be a bit sudden, but I really, really need to get the plot going on this. I tried to leave a hint in the last chapter of his starting to notice her more, and to show how it's partly wanting-what-you-can't-have syndrome...but oh well. Gotta motivate him somehow.**

**It's actually like two or three months since I wrote that first author's note, and my cactus has been re-potted. Lol.**

**True**

**P.S. It's called Cecil. The cactus. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: If you go back to chapter three *again* you will experience some further edits in the second half, which involves Pai and Lettuce. Just trying to improve the plot experience for y'all.**

**OK, some quick advertising even though it's WAAAAYYYY too late to bother: read GypsyxSilent's guess the author contest coz I'm participating in it, and my oneshot A True Diplomat to prove that I can write something other than fluff (though nothing without PaixLettuce in it).**

Ryou stood frozen in front of the kitchen, staring at the still-swinging doors. It couldn't be true. It _couldn't_. But the idea made a hideous kind of sense. After all, who _had_ pulled Lettuce out of the sea, that night when they had all thought she was drowned? She had been turning up late, giggling at nothing, closing her eyes or gazing dreamily up into the air...and why would Zakuro have run away like that, if she hadn't been afraid of giving the secret away?

'Ryou!' Keiichiro's urgent voice pulled him out of his thoughts. 'Get down here!'

Ryou ran to the stairs and took them three at a time. Keiichiro's computer was a mass of blinking, flashing lights.

'What is it?' Ryou demanded, his voice rough with dread.

'Cyniclons...a Cyniclon ship...it's bigger than anything I've ever seen before...'

'What?' Ryou darted to the computer, gripping the back of Keiichiro's chair. 'How fast is it coming? Where is it?'

'They're following the moon's orbit now,' Keiichiro answered, 'but I can't tell...it's too far away; there's no way I could get a signal even if I did know how to hack into their computers. They could just be observing, they could be going to rendez-vous with our current Cyniclons and plan a new strategy, or their close enough that they could just teleport straight to Earth and start wreaking havoc... either way, we've got to be ready...we've got to up our sensors and –'

'Wait.' Ryou held up one hand, weaving the other into his hair as though trying to hold his hair together. 'Keiichiro, I...could you handle it, just for now?'

'Ryou?' Keiichiro said, growing alarm in his voice. 'Ryou, what's wrong?'

'I can't...I...I just need to think...' Ryou backed towards the door. 'Look, I'll be in my room if you need me, I'll stay up there for a bit and then I'll come down and help you...' Keiichiro opened his mouth to speak, but Ryou shook his head wordlessly, turned on his heel and ran.

He bounded up the stairs to ground level and then up to his room, slammed the door and leaned against it, shaking. It all fitted together. New aliens were coming, and Pai was trying to use Lettuce for something, some kind of distraction...or maybe he wanted to gain her trust, then take her as a hostage...but after a moment his attempts to think rationally faded, to be replaced by pure rage. Lettuce – sweet, trustworthy, innocent Lettuce – whoring herself out to that...that _monster._ The bile rose in his throat. Every time he went for a girl, he came in second to someone else – first that spineless, prepubescent Aoyama, and now Pai. Ryou collapsed on his bed and pounded his fist into the pillow. He wasn't even a human, he was an _alien_. A coldblooded organic computer, practically. The enemy. And Lettuce, the most reliable of all the Mews, was going behind the backs of all her comrades to see him, and Zakuro...Zakuro was in on it, and hadn't breathed a word...oh God. If even the Mews were consorting with the enemy, then who could he trust? Not Keiichiro, not his own creations, nobody.

Ryou forced himself to breath calmly. He had no proof. The whole thing could just have been one of Pudding's far-fetched ramblings...but the youngest Mew's intuition had paid off before, and Ryou knew that she was far more observant than she appeared. Maybe she really knew something. He swallowed hard, his anger turning against Lettuce. How could she have lied to them...to him? Didn't she realise the danger she was putting herself and her team-mates in, consorting with the enemy like that? How could she? She was a hair's breadth from betraying them all...

'Alright, Shirogane, calm down,' he said out loud, staring up at the ceiling. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. 'It's not the end of the world. First thing tomorrow you can confront her and find out once and for all what's going on, and if she is...' he grimaced... 'then we can act from there. If that brute doesn't know that we know, we may even be able to gain an advantage from out of this mess. If we can beat him at his own game, make him think that Lettuce still trusts him...' He trailed off, a new thought forming in his mind. The idea that maybe it wasn't a trick, but genuine affection. For a fleeting moment he saw a picture in his mind's eye, of Pai seated on a café chair, his hands out in front of him, gesturing, talking...then the image faded, replaced with a memory of a house on fire, dry smoke filling his lungs, the shriek of chimeras from among the flames.

'Screw it,' he growled. 'He'll talk just as fast in a prison cell.'

He rolled off the bed, snapped his fingers for Masha and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Lettuce felt miserable. She had made her bed, brushed her hair, done her homework, but nothing could shake the memory of Ryou's stricken face from her mind. She tried to tell herself that he would get over it – he had always preferred Ichigo, after all, and what else could she have said – but still, to reject him, in front of all the other Mews, when he had been so sure of himself...she shook her head. She wanted to see Pai. That would remind her of why she had had to say no, and maybe then she would stop feeling so guilty. Because she had always liked Ryou, up until Pai appeared out of the blue, forced her to accept her feelings for him and swept her off her feet.

'Am I really fickle?' she asked her reflection, slumped in front of her bedroom mirror. 'Am I going to get sick of Pai too? Oh, I wish I could talk to someone about it –'

The telephone rang. Lettuce sat up, blinking in surprise, and then got to her feet and clattered down the stairs to answer it.

'Moshi moshi, Midorikawa residence?'

'Lettuce-san? Oh, thank goodness!' It was Keiichiro's voice on the other end of the line, and he sounded more rattled than she had ever heard him before. 'I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to contact you...you'd already left when the alarm went off, and none of the others had your number...'

'Alarm? What alarm?' Lettuce demanded, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. 'Akasaka-san, what's going on?'

'It was just after you left...' Keiichiro took a deep breath and collected himself. 'As you know, the aliens have been quiet for several weeks now, and we were worried that they were planning a big offensive...well, just now our sensors detected a new alien ship. It's bringing reinforcements, and we don't know what they're planning or when they'll land...'

Lettuce gripped the phone. 'What does that mean?'

'It means we all need to be doubly on our guard. I think an attack is unlikely tonight, but we'll need to meet first thing tomorrow morning for a briefing –'

'Hai,' Lettuce said quickly. 'Akasaka-san...where's Shirogane?'

'He's in his room.' Keiichiro sounded distressed. 'He went up there almost as soon as the signal came in, and he hasn't been down since.'

'Oh.' Lettuce bit her lip. 'I...'

'Lettuce?'

'It's nothing. I hope you're not both too worried. Thank you for calling me, Akasaka-san.'

'Take care,' he responded. A moment later Lettuce heard the dialling tone.

She set the phone down in a daze, then sat frozen. Shocked thoughts were floating around her mind. More aliens...a big assault...but that meant...

'Pai!' she gasped, and snatched up the receiver again. She had to call Zakuro. Her hand was poised over the buttons before she realised. She didn't know Zakuro's number. She had no way of contacting her.

Slowly she set the phone back down. Now what? Call her agent? Call the record company? But even as she stared at the phone, it rang again. Lettuce nearly jumped out of her skin. Quickly she fumbled for the receiver, nearly dropping it in her haste, and gasped,

'Hello?'

'Lettuce?'

'Zakuro-san! I'm so glad you called; I wanted to talk to you but –'

'I know,' Zakuro said. Lettuce had never been so glad to hear anyone in her life. 'Has Keiichiro called you?' she asked.

'Yes, he told me the news. Are you alright?'

'Yes.' There was a pause, and then Zakuro spoke again. 'I'm coming over.'

'Nani? Zakuro-san, why?'

'You're in danger.'

'We're all in danger.'

'But the aliens know more about your human form and habits than any of the rest of ours –'

'Pai would _never_ –' Lettuce began hotly, but Zakuro cut across her.

'Maybe not, but the information is known. If Pai's been to your house, there's bound to be a way for the others to find out where it is. I don't like the idea of you on your own.'

Lettuce was silent for a few moments, biting her lip. Then she said,

'But Zakuro-san...what if Pai comes?'

'What if he does?'

'I don't think he'd be...comfortable...around more than one of us...especially not you, because you're such a good fighter. What if he comes to speak to me and finds you hear and decides to stay away? What if he thinks I don't want him to come?' She hesitated. 'I want to see him, Zakuro.'

There was a long pause. She could almost hear Zakuro thinking. Finally the wolf Mew spoke. '...Alright. I'll leave you alone for tonight. But keep your power pendant on you all the time. Don't let it out of your sight. And if you see or hear anything the slightest bit suspicious, call me again. Do you promise?'

'I promise.'

'Good. This is my number.' She said it slowly and Lettuce wrote it down, repeating it back to her as she did so.

'Give it to the press and I will cheerfully eat you,' Zakuro said once she'd finished dictating it. Lettuce laughed.

'I promise I won't. Goodnight, Zakuro-onee-chan.'

'Goodnight, Lettuce,' Zakuro whispered, and hung up.

Lettuce sat by the phone for a few moments, then got up and jogged back up the stairs. She walked slowly along the landing, pushed open her bedroom door – and froze.

Her bedroom window was flapping open, the curtains swirling in the breeze.

Lettuce stood in the doorway, forcing herself not to panic. She had left the window open when she went downstairs to answer the phone; there was no evidence whatsoever of anything amiss...

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ she berated herself. _Enemies all around and you leave your bedroom window hanging open..._

_Cyniclons don't need open windows. And anyway, it wasn't stupid. You didn't know that more aliens had arrived when you went downstairs._

All the same, where before she had been almost inclined to laugh at Zakuro's paranoia, she was now thoroughly spooked. Swallowing hard, she closed the bedroom door and began to make a slow and thorough search of her room, peering into the wardrobe, under the bed and behind her desk.

'There,' she said to herself, exhaling slowly. 'No nasty aliens lurking anywhere. Now, shut the window, read a book, maybe go downstairs and ask Zakuro to come over after all...'

She turned back to the window and screamed. There was a dark, wavering shadow moving against the curtain.

Lettuce backed against the wall. Where was her pendant? Sitting on her desk, right beneath the window. She had done everything that Zakuro had told her not to do.

A white hand slipped around the curtain and gripped the window frame. Lettuce tensed. Then the curtain was ripped back to reveal Pai.

He balanced on the sill, supporting himself on his arms as he swung his legs into the room. His eyes were searching, and he saw her expression immediately.

'You know?' he asked.

Lettuce nodded. Her mouth was dry. She remembered his unswerving loyalty in the old days...where did this new development leave them? He stepped forward and she backed up a half-step, then stopped. He'd flinched.

'Lettuce, is that how much you trust me?' he whispered. Next instant she was stumbling forward into his arms, tears spilling down her face.

'It's not about trust,' she mumbled. 'It's about what I've got the right to expect of you. If you had to help your people...'

'Sssh.' He sat down on the bed, pulling her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. 'I know. But I...' She heard him swallow. 'Lettuce, I need you.'

She hugged him fiercely, fresh tears welling up.

'Don't cry, Lettuce,' he soothed, rocking her. 'It will be alright, I promise...'

Lettuce gulped, trying to pull herself together. 'What can we do?' she asked, reasonably steadily.

'We have to make them talk. These are men I trained alongside; I was a commanding officer to some of them. They'll listen to me...but Lettuce, they're not going to like it. I'm afraid that some of them will see it as a personal betrayal; they've always counted on me to lead them. If I had something concrete to offer them...do you think you could have any influence over your friends, to persuade them to a truce with us? Those two leaders of yours, could you talk to them?'

Lettuce was silent, chewing over what he had said, and she realised that her falling-out with Shirogane couldn't have come at a worse time. He had seemed to look favourably on her – maybe even to have a soft spot for her. But now he was bound to be angry.

'Lettuce?' Pai prompted.

'Maybe,' she said, 'but Shirogane-san...'

'What about him?'

'Shirogane-san might be...difficult...because...you see, today he asked me out.' She finished the sentence in a rush.

'What did you say?'

'No. What else could I say?'

'And that made you sad?' Pai asked quietly. He must have heard her distress, despite her efforts to keep her voice level.

'Oh, Pai-kun, I...I didn't want to say yes, but he looked so shocked...and I told him no in front of everybody, they all heard, and Ichigo was being hateful to him...' She stopped, sensing that asking Pai to be sympathetic to Ryou was stretching him a bit. 'It doesn't matter,' she muttered.

'Yes it does,' Pai disagreed. 'Lettuce, you know I'm not human, don't you? And I never can be, no matter how much...'

'It doesn't matter for what we've got to do,' Lettuce clarified impatiently. 'Ryou might be angry with me, but I'm sure he'll see sense.' She paused, then spoke decisively. 'Pai, tell me when the new Cyniclons are going to land?'

'Two days from now.'

'Not long...' Lettuce bit her lip. 'Then we have to get the other Mews to talk, as soon as possible, so that you'll have something to show when your people get here. Pai-kun, come to the park near the café at five o'clock tomorrow afternoon. When I go to work in the morning I'll tell the others that you're coming to negotiate peacefully with them, and I'll...I'll soften them up somehow. Then at five o'clock I can go and fetch you.'

'Yes.' She could see that Pai was less than pleased at the idea of coming alone into the heart of the enemy, though he tried not to show it. 'Why as late as five, though?'

'It's when the café closes. It wouldn't do for the customers to see you.'

'No.' Pai gave the shadow of a smile. 'What shall I tell Kisshu and Taruto?'

'Tell them whatever you like,' Lettuce said. 'But I'd tell them the truth.'

'Yes,' Pai sighed. He looked as though he were steeling himself. 'I could only have kept it from Kisshu for so long, anyway...'

'Mmm.' Lettuce sighed, leaning her head against his chest. Their plan, such as it was, was decided. Now there was nothing to do but try to stay calm. She put her hand on his arm. His muscles had little more give in them than steel, and his hand was broad and strong against her cheek...but she could hear his heartbeat too, resounding steadily through his chest wall. 'Pai-kun, I'm afraid.'

'Don't be. I can look after myself, and I promise I'll look after you too. I won't let them come anywhere near you until I've got them to see sense. And you can look after _your_self as well. You're incredible that way.'

Lettuce blew out, fluttering her fringe. 'I don't want to lose you.'

'I know.' He stroked her face. His eyes were locked on the far wall, unseeing, and for a moment she saw the grim warrior in his face, perfectly fused with the tenderness he showed to her. He was so beautiful that he took her breath away.

'I hate...what this is doing to you,' he said, gesturing vaguely with one hand. 'I hate that you have to go against your friends...'

'Not going against them,' Lettuce murmured. '_For _them, in the end.'

'In the end, if our two sides went back to fighting, you would have to fight with your people. It would be perfectly justified.'

'That won't happen,' Lettuce said clearly. 'I swear to you, it won't. I won't fight against you.'

His expression was intent. Brittle. His eyes oddly bright. 'Hold me,' he whispered, bending over her as though he didn't trust his face to remain impassive.

Were those tears in his eyes? Lettuce shifted her position, wrapping her arms around him. It was difficult – he was so much taller than her – but she pulled him close and laid his head on her shoulder. He buried his face in the side of her neck, his fingers slowly tracing her neck.

'Meia tyedana,' he whispered. He had asked her to hold him, but he was clinging to her instead, so tightly that she struggled to breath.

'Is that Cyniclon?' she asked softly.

'Hai. It means _my darling_.'

'Speak some more to me.'

He smiled, and began to speak, eyes closed, cheek resting on her collarbone. It was a rhythmic language, full of compound consonants and fluid, sliding vowels. It made her heart skip. Not his perfectly cultivated, military Japanese...his own language...

'What are you saying?' she whispered.

'That I love you. And then a lot of sentimental comparisons.' His voice was offhand, but his expression was dreamy.

He turned his face into her chest again, nuzzling closer. Lettuce placed her hands in his hair, and tilted her head back against the wall, and the tears welled up where he couldn't see.

**A/N: Just a little bit of lingo-fluff for y'all there. I'm SORRY, I KNOW that the fluff at the end was bad, but it's late and I promised people this update, I will totally go and edit it tomorrow...**

**Also, this onesided RyouxLettuce is turning out to be a very, VERY bad idea. Because I am beginning to realise that PaixLettuce is not about Lettuce pining after Pai and Pai turning up and magically revealing that he returns her feelings, but about Pai pining after Lettuce while Lettuce dithers between him and Ryou. And now that I've given Lettuce a hint of Ryoulove, she's tugging at the reigns, all, 'come on, True! Give in! Give up and pair me with Ryou, face it, it's cannonical!' I don't know why my muse can't just do as it's told. Why does it have to go out looking for opportunities to plunge the metaphorical dagger of romantic pain into its own breast? OH. BECAUSE I AM A FAILED PERFECTIONIST, THAT'S WHY.**

**If ye love me, you will inundate me with LettucexRyou breakup ficlets and reasons why PaiRet is the better couple. Srsly guys, I need help. **


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